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HISTORY 

OF THE 

AFRICAN MISSION 

OF THE 

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

IN THE UNITED STATES, 

WITK 

MEMOIRS OF DECEASED MISSIONARIES, 

AND 

NOTICES OF NATIVE CUSTOMS. 



MRS, E. F. HENlNG. 



NEW-YORK : 
STANFORD AND SWORDS, 137, BROADWAY. 

1850. 






":f* 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849, 

BY STANFORD AND SWORDS, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States 

for the Southern District of New- York. 



Ffwa 
Aa«rtsta Sal9«ia*u»n Soei«ty 

Jfcy 89, 1913. 



PREFACE, 



The object of the writer in compiling this little 
volume, has been, to present in one view, the 
leading historical facts of the Mission of the Pro- 
testant Episcopal Church in Western Africa, with 
the Memoirs of those who have died in its service, 
and such information respecting the country and 
customs of the people, as might be interesting to 
the general reader. Most of the details have been 
collated from the journals of the missionaries, 
published in the " Spirit of Missions ;" and if the 
work be useful only in directing attention to that 
interesting and important periodical, it will not 
have been written in vain. That the Members of 
the Church are not, generally, as familiar with its 



pages as might be expected, has been proved to 
the writer, by the numerous inquiries which have 
been addressed to her during her present visit to 
the United States, and which she has endeavored 
to answer in this work. 

It may serve also to refresh the memories of 
those who, having been once familiar with the 
scenes here described, have partially forgotten 
them ; or, addressing itself to another large class 
of readers, may convey information of what was 
done in Africa, either before they were old enough 
or wise enough to be interested in the work of Mis- 
sions. For such information, they can hardly be 
expected to search through the old volumes of a 
periodical, while they will gladly avail themselves 
of the labors of another, who offers it for their 
perusal in a more convenient form. 

For the materials for one of the most interest- 
ing portions of the volume, the writer is chiefly 
indebted to the Rev. E. W. Syle, who designed to 
prepare the Memoir of the lamented Minor for 



PREFACE. 



V. 



publication, in a separate form, but was unable to 
complete the work before he sailed for China. 

Such as it is, the volume is now sent forth to 
claim the notice of a leisure hour from all who 
feel an interest in the extension of the Redeemer's 
kingdom. May Grod make it instrumental in 
deepening that interest, and prompting to more 
fervent prayer and liberal effort, not only for Af- 
rica, but for all the nations who now " sit in dark- 
ness." 

E. F. H. 

Brooklyn, N. Y., November, 1849. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAQH. 

Origin of first Missionary efforts of Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States — First Agents of American 
Colonial Society — Appointment of Mr. Ephraim Bacon — 
Mr. Jacob Oson — Mission School at Hartford — Mr. James 
Thompson — Donation from American Colonial Society — 
Selection of Mount Vaughan as Mission Station . .13 

CHAPTER II. 

Appointment of Rev. John Payne, L. B. Minor, and T. S. 
Savage, M. D. — Dr. Savage's departure — Description of 
Cape Palmas — Manner of building native houses — Visit 
from the king — Greegree pole — Situation of the station — 
John and Susan Savage — Custom of betrothal • . 22 



CHAPTER IIL 

Removal to Mt. Vaughan — Sheppard's Lake — The Palm- 
tree and Mangrove — Grahway — Use of Greegrees — Man- 
ner of Making Doctors — Half Cavalla — Description of 
Country — Interview with King Baphro . . . .32 



Vll[ CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER IV. 

PAGE. 

Desire of natives for schools — Ideas of the Supreme Being — 
Dr. Savage's journey to Deneh — Curious illustration of 
superstitions — Sassa Wood — Nallicott — Incident on the 
liver — Oracle of Grand Devil at Hodia — Deneh — King's 
hospitality — Heathen customs ...... 42 

CHAPTER V. 

Arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Payne and Mr. Minor — Failure of 
Dr. Savage's health — Cause. — Different dialects of natives 
— Dr. S. returns to United States — Attempt to open a 
Station at Garraway — Death of Mr. Thompson — Manner 
of preparing farms . . .52 

CHAPTER VI. 

Sailing of new missionaries — Illness and death of Mrs. 
Savage — Lines by Mrs. Sigourney 58 

CHAPTER VII. 

Prosperity of the Mission — Superstition of the Grahwayans 
— Mr. Payne's removal to Cavalla — Erooman's letter — 
Mr. Minor returns to Africa, accompanied by his wife and 
Rev. J. Smith — Religious interest in the schools — Grebo 
hymns , . 71 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Review of the year 1840 — Dr. Savage's visit to the Leeward 
Coast — Mr. and Mrs. Payne return to the United States — 
Opening of Stations at Rockbookah and Taboo — Illustra- 
tion of heathen superstition — Mr. and Mrs. Payne again 
embark for Africa with new missionaries — Death of Miss 
Coggleshall — Biographical notice — Difficulties with natives 80 

CHAPTER IX. 
Encouraging circumstances at Cavalla — Death of native 
convert — Mr. Payne visits the family . . . .88 



CONTENTS. 



ix 



CHAPTER X. 

PAGE. 

Ideas of the people respecting a future state — Funeral Cere- 
monies — Sassa Wood — Superstitions of the Grahwayans — 
Singular custom — Arrival of Rev. Samuel Hazlehurst — 
Mr. Payne's labors . 95 

CHAPTER XL 

Death of Mrs. Maria V. Savage — Parentage, birth, and early 
life — Determination to offer her services for Africa — Letter 
to the Rev. Dr. Vaughan — Farewell letter to her friends — 
Voyage and arrival in Africa 102 

CHAPTER XII. 

Mrs. Savage's Illness — Extracts from her Letters and Jour- 
nal . . . .108 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Account of Mrs. Savage's Last Illness and Death . .114 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Death of Rev. L. B. Minor — His birth and boyhood — College 
life — Characteristic incidents 122 

CHAPTER XV. 

Maternal influence — Change in his religious character — 
Devotes himself to the ministry and to the African Mission 
— Tour in behalf of the Mission — Character of his preach- 
ing 12? 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Mr Minor embarks for Africa — Letters descriptive of the 
voyage and country — Acclimation — Other letters . . 137 



x CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

PAGE. 

Cape Coast — Fortifications — Missionary efforts . . . 147 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Mr. Minor's visit to the United States — His marriage and 
return to Africa — Efforts in the colon y — Letters . .153 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Excursion into the country 158 

CHAPTER XX. 

Results of this journey — Visits to Taboo — Moving a native 

house 167 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Notes, descriptive of his mode of life at Taboo, addressed 
by Mr. Minor to his wife 172 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Outrage committed by the natives at Little Bereby — Letter 
to the Hon. Abel P. Upshur — Extracts from Mr. Minor's 
Journal 182 

CHAPTER XXIII 
Mr. Minor's declining health — His last illness and death . 191 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Letter from the Rev. J. Peterkin, illustrative of Mr. Minor's 
character 200 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Musu's conversion — Native lawyers — Quarrel at Taboo — 
Singular custom 209 



CONTEXTS. 
CHAPTER XXVI. 

>r. Savage and Mrs. Mi 
United States. — Serious difficulty at Cavalla . . .215 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Intervention of the United States Squadron — Affecting scene 223 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Commodore Perry's parley at Cape Palmas — The squadron 
visits Little Bereby — Overtures of natives to Mr. Payne — 
Fidelity of Mission scholars — Another deputation from 
Cavalla — The " palaver set." 231 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Death of "Warra Hobah, alias Alexander V. Griswold . . 238 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Embarkation of another band of missionaries — Cape Verde 
— Bathurst — Sierra Leone — Monrovia — Arrival at Cape 
Palmas — Sickness — Chapel at Cavalla — Examination of 
school 243 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

New arrangements — Arrival of Dr. and Mrs. Perkins, and 
Mr. and Mrs. Appleby — Another palaver — Curious cere- 
mony — A great warrior — A battle — Native customs . 249 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Quiet restored — Purifying the land — Mr. Hening's journal — 
Visit from a Devil Doctor — Mnsu's baptism — Dr. Perkins 
removes to Rockbookah — Account of Nimleh . . . 260 



Zft CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

PAGE. 

Review of the year 1845 — Arrival of the Rev. Mr. Messenger 
— Illness and death of Mrs. Patch 270 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 
Illness and death of Rev. E. J. P. Messenger . . . 211 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Sentiments of missionaries under these trials — Baptism of 
native converts — Results of the Mission — Permanent 
grounds of encouragement . . . . . .286 

Appendix .......... 295 



HISTORY 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 



CHAPTER. I. 

Origin of first Missionar)' efforts of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the 
United States — First Agents of Colonial Society — Appointment of Mr. 
Ephraim Bacon — Mr. Jacob Oson -Mission School at Hartford — Mr. James 
Thompson — Donation from American Colonial Society — Selection of Mount 
Vaughan as a Missionary Station 

We trace the origin of the first missionary organization 
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, 
to an impulse received from the mother Church of 
England.^ In 1815, the Rev. Josiah Pratt, Secretary 
of the Church Missionary Society, London, addressed 
a circular letter to several of the leading members of the 
Episcopal body in this country, in the hope of obtaining 
their co-operation in the work of Missions. To this 
circular, the late lamented Bishop Griswold was the 
first to respond ; and with his reply, he transmitted 
to Mr. Pratt a pastoral letter, addressed to his clergy 
in 1814, in which he uses the following language : 

" Some efforts have been made, and are still in 

* See Rev. Dr. Stone's Memoir of Bishop Griswold. 



24 HISTORY OF 

agitation, by a few individuals, to form Missionary 
Societies, and to collect a little fund for sending the 
light and comforts of the gospel among those who are 
destitute. We are far from believing that there is any 
repugnance to this good work among Christians of our 
communion : yet from some unhappy cause, it is but 
too evident that your serious attention has not been duly 
engaged in this important subject. * * # 

" Our numbers are few, and thinly scattered over a 
large extent of country ; nor have we,' until very lately, 
been so organized and united, as to attempt, with any 
probability of success, any missionary labors. But now, 
through divine goodness, these obstacles are in part 
removed ; our Churches flourish ; our numbers increase ; 
and we may conveniently unite in any measures to pro- 
mote the cause of Christianity." 

Bishop Griswold assures Mr. Pratt of the cordial 
co-operation of the American Church, so far as her 
" means and power will admit." " Most gladly would we 
unite with you," he writes, "in sending missionaries to 
Africa and the East ; and hope that the time is not far 
distant when some of our pious young men will be 
zealously disposed to engage in this good work. At 
present, however, we have not the funds, nor other 
means of doing much in missionary labor ; not even 
of supplying the wants of our own country." 

In a subsequent communication, he introduces to 
the notice of the Church Missionary Society, the Rev. 
Joseph R. Andrus, as one" anxious to be employed in 
the missionary field. 

The report of the Society for 1817, presents the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. jg 

following statement : — " the Committee have suggested 
the expediency of forming in the Ejriscojxzl Churcli of 
the United States, a Missionary Society for the ad- 
vancement of the kingdom, of Christ among the 
heathen ; and have authorized Bishop Griswold to draw 
on this Society for the sum of c€200, as an encourage- 
ment to its own exertions, and in full persuasion that 
those exertions will be, as they are daily found to be in 
this country, a blessing to those who make them, as 
well as to those towards whose immediate benefit they 
are directed. The Committee have also suggested the 
propriety of the Rev. Mr. Andrus, before mentioned, 
proceeding to Ceylon, under the patronage of the Society 
to be so formed ; in the hope, that the maintenance by 
the Institution of a pious and exemplary layman among 
the heathen, will not only call forth the liberal contri- 
butions of the members of the American Episcopal 
Church in support of the funds, but excite their prayers 
for its success, and induce other clergymen to follow his 
example." 

Although, as a body, the Church had been too long 
negligent of her obligations to the heathen world, it 
cannot be doubted that the missionary flame burned 
brightly in many hearts within her communion. There 
were some, among both her clergy and laity, fully imbued 
with the missionary spirit, and willing to encounter any 
dangers, and submit to any trials, if they might be the 
instruments of good to the perishing heathen. While 
the Church remained destitute of any Society under 
whose auspices they might go forth on their errand of 
love, it was natural that such spirits should embrace 



16 HISTORY OF 

with ardor, the opportunity afforded by the project of 
African Colonization, of carrying the gospel to one of 
the darkest corners of the globe. "We rejoice to find 
clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church among 
the first agents in that noble enterprise. 

Such were the Rev. Samuel Bacon, Christian Wilt- 
berger, Joseph B,. Andrus, and Jehudi Ashmun ; and 
John P. Bankson, and Ephraim Bacon, were also lay 
members of her communion. As, however, the labors 
of these gentlemen were unconnected with the mis- 
sionary efforts of our Church in that country, they are 
not included within the limits of this work. Most of 
them fell early victims to the pestilential climate of 
Africa ; and their brief career is appropriately mentioned 
in Dr. Alexander's very interesting "History of African 
Colonization." 

The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of 
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, 
was formed by the General Convention in May, 1820. 
The attention of the Society was early turned towards 
the destitute millions of Africa, among whom they were 
desirous of immediately establishing a Mission. In 1822, 
Mr. Ephraim Bacon, and his wife, both of whom had 
been in Africa in connection with the American Colo- 
nization Society, on their return, offered their services 
for the commencement of the undertaking. It was 
determined to send them out, and to give Mr. Bacon 
the appointment of catechist. He employed some months 
preparatory to his departure in visiting different parts 
of the country for the purpose of exciting an interest in 
the Mission, and collecting the necessary funds for its 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 27 

maintenance. In this he was more successful than had 
been anticipated ; collecting about eighteen hundred 
dollars hi cash, and a variety of clothing and other 
useful articles. The way now seemed open for further 
effort, but an unexpected obstacle arose from the refusal 
of the Colonization Society, from some motive connected 
with the internal affairs of their colony at that period, 
to allow Mr. BaCon's family and the goods procured for 
the Mission, a passage in their vessels. Another oppor- 
tunity was then anxiously sought, but in vain ; and at 
length, all the means which could be used having been 
adopted without any prospect of success, the Mission 
was, for the time, with great reluctance on the part of 
the Executive Committee, abandoned. The money 
which had been contributed for this object was invested 
as part of the Foreign Mission- fund on account, and 
was solemnly pledged to the endowment of the African 
Mission whenever it should be established. 

Some years passed away, during which the Execu- 
tive Committee were not able to obtain the services of 
a suitable missionary. At length, at a special meeting 
of the Board of Directors in October, 1827, Mr. Jacob 
Oson, a colored man who had for several years resided 
at New Haven, Connecticut, whose character and quali- 
fications for the work were of the most satisfactory kind, 
and who had been, for some time, a candidate for holy 
orders in that diocese, was appointed to the service. 
He was ordained deacon on the 16th of February, 1828, 
and priest on the following day, by the Rt. Rev. Bishop 
Brownell. The Board of Directors of the American 
Colonization Society, offered him a free passage in one of 



18 HISTORY OF 

their vessels, and pledges for his support were received, 
chiefly from individuals of St. Paul's Church, Boston, 
to the amount of three hundred and sixty dollars per 
annum. The friends of Africa rejoiced in the hope that 
the way for the establishment of the Mission was now 
opened, but they were again disappointed. The summons 
to prepare for his departure, found Mr. Oson upon a 
bed of sickness, from which, before the sailing of the 
vessel, he was carried to the grave. 

In 1828, an attempt was made to establish a Mission 
School at Hartford, for the purpose of training up colored 
young men to act as teachers and missionaries in Africa. 
Three or four candidates presented themselves, who were 
placed under the tuition of an under-graduate of Trinity 
College, and superintended by the president. With 
one exception, however, they were found deficient in 
even the rudiments of an ordinary English education, 
nor did they answer the expectations formed of their 
religious character. Although general publicity had been 
given to the project, no more applications were received ;' 
and the funds of the institution being very limited, the 
enterprise was necessarily abandoned. 

Notwithstanding their repeated disappointments, the 
Executive Committee of our Missionary Society did not 
relinquish their benevolent designs towards Africa ; but 
seeing no reasonable prospect of the immediate accom- 
plishment of their object, they resolved that the articles 
collected by Mr. Bacon, many of which were likely to 
be injured while lying useless on their hands, should be 
transferred to the American Colonization Society, to be 
disposed of for the benefit of the poor Africans, as origi- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. jg 

nally designed by the donors. That they still retained 
an unskaken conviction of the importance and the prac- 
ticability of establishing a Mission in Africa, is abundantly 
proved in their repeated and earnest appeals to the 
Church in their Annual Reports. In 1833, after refer- 
ing to the discouraging circumstances which had hitherto 
baffled their efforts, they say : "In the meantime, it is 
well known to the Board, that the favorable hand of 
God has been continually removing or mitigating the 
obstacles which have hindered the establishment of 
Christianity on the coast of Africa." They revert to 
" the peculiar obligations, under which we, as Ameri- 
cans, lie to the ignorant and miserable race, whose for- 
tunes are so closely and so sadly connected with our 
own," and recommend " the appointment, as soon as ■ 
suitable persons may offer, of two misionaries at the 
colony of Liberia and its vicinity." 

In the same year, the Committee were informed by 
Dr. James Hall, the governor of the colony at Cape 
Palmas, that a portion of the most respectable inhabi- 
tants of Monrovia, had formed themselves into a religi- 
ous society, under the title of St. James' Church ; profes- 
ing to be governed by the laws of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States of America. Dr. Hall 
placed in the hands of the Committee an appeal for aid 
in the erection of a house of worship for said Church, 
signed by its Wardens and Vestry. This the Committee 
published in the Missionary Record, and in answer to it 
received the sum of $201 15. The writer of this appeal 
was Mr. James Thompson, Secretary to the Colonial 
agent at Cape Palmas. He was a native of Demarara, 



20 HISTORY OF 

about twenty-seven years of age, intelligent, pious, well 
educated, ardently attached to the distinctive principles 
and features of the Episcopal Church, and, for a con- 
siderable period, had been officiating among the colonists 
as Lay Reader. Soon after the meeting of the Board 
in 1834, the Secretary of the Society was requested to 
open a correspondence with Mr. Thompson, and ascer- 
tain from him whether he would be willing to engage 
in the service of the Society as an ordained missionary, 
provided it was practicable to effect his ordination in 
accordance with the canons of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States. To this inquiry, Mr. 
Thompson replied, that he did not consider his qualifica- 
tions of such a nature as would justify him in assuming 
the ministerial office, and would prefer co-operating with 
the Society in the capacity of a teacher. He proposed 
a plan for a Mission school which the Committee -re- 
solved to adopt. In June, 1835, they appointed Mr. and 
Mrs. Thompson to the office of teachers, and appropriated 
a sum for the erection of the necessary buildings. In 
the following Autumn, the managers of the American 
Colonization Society, announced to the Secretary of the 
Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, a resolution 
of that body, instructing their Colonial agent to grant 
to the Society a lot of ground on Factory Island, or else- 
where, within the territory of Liberia. For this generous 
donation, a vote of thanks was promptly transmitted by 
the Foreign Committee, who instructed Mr. Thompson to 
select such a spot as he should deem most suitable for the 
establishment of the proposed Mission school. Mr. 
Thompson was then residing at Cape Palmas, and, after 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 21 

consultation with Gov. Hall and the Rev. M. Wilson, he 
decided to locate the Mission in that vicinity. The spot 
selected was a beautiful mount about three miles distant 
from the Cape, and situated on the main road leading 
from the town of Harper to the Cavalla river. Its 
elevation was about one hundred feet, commanding a 
fine view of ihe surrounding country, and affording a 
distant glimpse of the ocean. The grant included an ex- 
tent of ten acres. 

On the 1st of March, Mr. Thompson commenced his 
operations in behalf of the Society, and proceeded to 
clear up the ground, and prepare it for the erection of suit- 
able buildings for the accommodation of a Mission family 
and school. The work of instruction was commenced 
immediately, with seven children, five boys and two 
girls. With the former, Mr. Thompson removed to a 
small native house on the premises, in order to give his 
personal attention to the building and other operations, 
leaving the girls under the care of his wife, at Harper. 
On Sundays he joined his family, and held religious ser- 
vices, which were frequently attended by the Governor 
and settlers of the colony. 



CHAPTER II. 

Appointment of Rev. John Payne, L. B. Minor, and T. S. Savage, M. D.— 
Dr. Savage's departure— Description of Cape Palmas— Manner of building 
native houses — Visit from the king— Greegree pole— Situation of the station 
— John and Susan Savage— Custom of betrothal. 

Thus, after a long series of disappointments, the Church 
had, at last, the satisfaction of seeing this much desired 
Mission family commenced. Further encouragement was 
soon afforded by a letter received from Mr. John Payne, 
then a student in the Theological Seminary of Virginia, 
offering to engage in the service of the Mission, as soon 
as he should he ordained. In August, a similar offer was 
received from Rev. Lancelot B. Minor. Both these gen- 
tlemen belonged to the Diocese of Virginia, and, being 
recommended by their Bishop, were immediately ap- 
pointed missionaries to Africa. In the same month, 
letters were received from the Rev. Thomas S. Savage, 
M. D., of Connecticut, expressing an earnest desire to 
engage in the same field. His application was also 
accepted, and he was desired to be ready to sail in the 
autumn, in order that he might be able to make such 
arrangements for the reception of the other members of 
the Mission, as he might deem necessary for their health 
and comfort. For this duty he was especially qualified 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 23 

by his medical knowledge, which, in view of the pecu- 
liar dangers of the African climate, rendered his services 
particularly valuable. Li October, Dr. Savage was or- 
dained to priest's orders by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Brownell, 
and, ou the 1st of November, 1836, he set sail in the 
brig Niobe, from Baltimore, for Cape Palmas. He ar- 
rived at his place of destination on Sunday, December 
25th, and, in his first letter to the committee, thus 
writes : 

" I am much pleased with Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. 
They have a very interesting school of native boys and 
girls. Every thing connected with the Mission gives 
evidence of their faithfulness and capability to fill the 
important post with which they have been intrusted, 
######=&##. G- d hag signally blessed us in raising up 
such servants. In their self-denying labors, he sends over 
a voice to the Church at home, for the prayer of faith — for 
persevering effort — for greater self-denial and greater 
consecration of money, body and soul, to the great work 
of Africa's redemption. Christians of America ! oh ! 
will you not hear ? You owe Africa a debt, and one 
which can never be paid till her long lost sons are re- 
stored to her pleading arms. Yes ! Christians of Ame- 
rica ! you owe Africa a debt, and one which can ne- 
ver be paid till you have carried the word of God into 
every family within her borders. ' Freely you have re- 
ceived, freely give.' * : *^#^ : *. 

" How did I find him (Mr. Thompson) employed ? 
His school, as has been his custom every Sabbath, was 
assembled at his house, at the Cape, and a few others, 
with his own family, were pouring out upon the altar 



24 HISTORY OF 

which he has consecrated to God, the sweet incense of 
prayer and thanksgiving. Oh ! never shall I, to my last 
breath, forget the emotions which swelled my bosom on 
this occasion. I blessed God for having afforded me the 
sight, and in the full tide of feeling which delighted my 
soul, I once more joyfully vowed to live to His ser- 
vice upon these bleeding, benighted shores." 

Under date of January 13th, 1837, he again writes : 
"lam highly pleased with our location, and warmly 
approve its selection for the commencement of our Mis- 
sionary operations. Cape Palmas is high and promi- 
nent, and, since my arrival, has been visited every hour 
of the day with a cool and refreshing breeze. Its pro- 
jection into the sea is about one hundred rods, and its 
heighth, one hundred feet. It forms, as you are aware, 
the turning point from the windward to the leeward 
coast. Its relative position, hi regard to the interior 
and other important points upon the coasts, as well as 
other considerations, which will hereafter be mentioned, 
lead us to anticipate great facilities in our subsequent 
operations, and fully convince me of the propriety of its 
selection as our starting point. The bar and landing 
are said to be the best in all Western Africa. In this 
respect it has certainly the advantage of Bassa Cove, 
where landing with small boats is attended with 
danger. 

" The Cape, itself, is mostly occupied with houses 
belonging to the agency and other colonists. Com- 
mencing with the main land is a native town, consist- 
ing of fifteen hundred inhabitants. The houses or huts 
are constructed as follows : Narrow strips of boards, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 25 

four or five feet in height, three or four inches wide, 
and half an inch thick, are placed, perpendicularly, in 
the ground, arranged in the form of a circle. This 
constitutes the base ; upon this structure is placed the 
roof, which is made of the leaves of the palm-tree, run- 
ning up high to a point, very much in the manner of a 
sugar loaf. This town has its greegree house, i. e. build- 
ings in which are performed their religious ceremonies. 
These, I am informed, are of the most disgusting charac- 
ter, and are addressed solely to the devil. Their reli- 
gion is, most emphatically, a religion of devils. On my 
arrival, I was visited, a number of times, by the king, 
whose English name is Tom Freeman. Every gentle- 
man is thus honored, and were he not apprised of the 
real motives which prompt to these attentions, he 
would place these people upon an equality in politeness 
with some other nations far more advanced in civiliza- 
tion. I have often been surprised with the salutation 
of a genteel bow, accompanied with a graceful wave of 
the hand. The visits of the king, upon the arrival of a 
' gentleman,' as they style every one bringing goods, are 
made with the expectation of receiving a dash or pre- 
sent. This is in accordance with a long established 
custom, and so firm is its hold upon their affections, that 
a compliance becomes a necessary preliminary step to a 
desirable influence among them, and, consequently, to 
our usefulness. On returning the king's visit, the first 
object that attracted my eye was a small stick, about 
five feet in height, and an inch in diameter, standing at 
the entrance of his hut. This is his ' greegee pole.' 
The charm consists in having a few fibres of the inner 
2 



23 tii&four or 

bark of some tree, dyed black, suspended from the topv 
Here, night and day, the charm exerts its wondrous 
power, as it performs a thousand mysterious motions, 
moved to and fro by the four winds of heaven. I ask ed 
the king, through an interpreter, its object. He replied, 
* It is my fetish to keep off the witehes — the devil-man.' 
' What keeps them from me V said I, ' I have no fetish 
hung up at my door, no greegee around my person.' A 
French shrug, with a shake of the head, was the only 
sign of a reply. I then asked the king if he had ever 
seen this devil-man, and what he was like ? ' He 
looks black, like countryman,' said he, smiling. 'How 
do you tell him from your subjects, then,' said I. A 
hearty laugh was his only answer. After some further 
remarks, by which I endeavored to make him see the 
absolute folly of these superstitions, without directly, 
and perhaps rudely, attacking them, I left him with a 
heart truly pained at his benighted condition, #*###### 

" Both these stations (those of the American Board* 
and of the Methodists) are situated within a few rods 
of the beach, having the ocean upon the east. Imme- 
diately upon the west, is the Maryland Avenue, com- 
mencing about this point, and ending at our station. 
Our location is more to the interior than any of the 
others, with a distance of two miles between, and three 
from the Cape. Upon either side of the Avenue are 
located the emigrants as they arrive. 

"We have now about ten acres of land under cul- 

* This station was subsequently abandoned, the A. B. C. F. M 
removing their Mission to the Gaboon river. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 27 

tivation, planted with the delicious yam, banana, cas- 
sada, and plantain, the tangah, sweet potato, and ar- 
row-root, limes, oranges, and palm-trees ; a few Ameri- 
can vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, egg plant, 
ocra, cucumbers, Lima beans, musk and water melons, 
&c, &c. 

" The whole of the original grant is now enclosed 
with an African fence, the best in the colony. The 
sticks answering to posts, are of the species of a tree 
very tenacious of life ; (in this respect something like the 
American salix or willow ;) and, in the course of a few 
years, will become flourishing trees. As a substitute 
for rails, sticks of a smaller size are taken and connected 
by a withe at the end to the posts." 

While every thing appeared thus flourishing in the 
outward aspect of the Mission, encouragement was also 
offered of a still more gratifying character. Towards 
the close of his letter Dr. Savage adds : 

" An increasing interest is manifested by the children 
in whatever is told them about God, their Creator and 
Father in heaven, and Christ their Saviour. On some 
occasions, some of them have been affected even to 
tears. This is especially the case with John Thompson 
and his sister Susan. The former has been with Mr. 
Thompson about two years, and the latter, sixteen 
months. On one occasion, when Mr. T. was explaining 
the nature and design of the Lord's Supper, John wept 
at the recital of that tale of undeserved love ; and again, 
while Mrs. T. was reading and explaining some points 
in the history of Jacob and Joseph, both he and his 
sister were deeply affected, and shed tears, as many 



28 HISTORY OP 

others have done, over the severe trials of the patriarch 
and his favorite son. These are not the exhibitions of 
an evanescent feeling, originating merely in the elo- 
quence of the speaker, for there is nothing in the manner 
of either Mr. or Mrs. T. to produce such an effect ; but 
the results of prayerful instruction, now beginning, as 
we trust, to receive the promised blessing : a result as 
necessarily following such a course of labor as the 
golden harvest follows the industry of the husbandman. 
I desire to give one interesting circumstance in regard to 
Susan, and employ Mrs. Thompson's words. " What- 
ever art she has been taught, she endeavors to perform 
well ; listens attentively to religious instruction, and is 
very fond of hearing anything about God and Jesus 
Christ. After hearing Mr. Y/ilson preach to the natives 
about the good and evil designs in man's heart, showing 
that we have two hearts, one bad, the other good, she 
remarked to me, ' I know that very well.' To use her 
own words : ' T'other day I do something bad too ; I 
scold other girl plenty ; (the word plenty in the Afri co- 
American dialect, means a great deal ;) my heart be mad 
too much. When they wash clothes they make play 
plenty — they no wash clothes clean ; then I say some bad 
word ; when I done speak 'em, then my heart sorry too 
much; I go garden — I cry plenty — plenty.' At another 
time, seeing a native funeral pass, she remarked, ' He 
make my heart sorry too much, when country man die.' 
On asking her why, she replied, ' Because they no sab- 
by God ;' (know or understand God) ' They no sabby 
God book too. I want to live with you, so I can sabby 
God proper." 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 29 

" There is a seed-time and a harvest in the moral, 
as well as in the natural world, and patience, with a 
firm trust in the promises and good providence of God, 
are as requisite in the one, as in the other. Never did 
I so fully realize the force of this truth as since my foot 
has pressed a heathen soil, It cannot be too familiar to 
the minds of Christians at home, but more especially, of 
the missionary himself. ' Behold,' says the Apostle, 
' the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruits of the 
earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive 
the early and the latter rain. Be ye also patient ; esta- 
blish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth 
nigh.' We believe the precious seed of divine truth to 
be taking effect in the hearts of, at least, the two chil- 
dren above mentioned. If they are permitted to remain 
with us, we can but feel that they will yet become 
Christ's by adoption and grace. But alas ! there is a 
possibility of Susan's withdrawal from beneath our in- 
struction and care. It has been a custom, from time 
immemorial, among this people, and which is almost 
universally observed, to betroth their daughters in in- 
fancy ; in other words, to sell them. For a stipulated 
sum between the father and the other party, the former 
binds himself to deliver over to the latter his daughter, 
whenever he shall make the demand. The age of the 
proposed husband never becomes a question. It is the 
amount to be paid, which constitutes the pivot upon 
which the contract turns. Susan, our most interesting 
and promising scholar in the female department, is a 
victim to this horrid custom. She is engaged to an old 
man in the interior, or ' bush,' as the natives term it. 



30 HISTORY OF 

We can redeem her by paying the estimated amount for 
■which she is sold ; this is about twenty dollars. By 
thus redeeming a child both parents and guardians lose 
all power and right of control, and she remains for the 
future subject solely to our direction and influence. I 
will close by mentioning one cruel custom which has 
grown out of this horrid practice of betrothing their 
children. When the girl is called for by the person who 
bought her in infancy, she is obliged to go whether willing 
or not. If she refuse, a number of other children are 
compelled to whip her into compliance. While at Mr. 
Wilson's, a few days since, I was shocked and pained at 
the sight of one of these cruel scenes. Six or eight 
children were most cruelly lashing the bare back of a 
girl, apparently about thirteen years of age, while both 
parents, one preceding and the other following, gave di- 
rection to the whole affair. There is no alternative be- 
tween submission or death. Oh ! could one benevolent 
female at home witness that sight, but for a moment, 
thought I, how soon would she be snatched from the 
cruel destiny !" 

The custom here referred to, proved a serious obsta- 
cle in the way of establishing female schools. Girls were 
liable, at any time, to be withdrawn from instruction, and 
forced to swell the retinue of a heathen polygamist. A 
step so opposed to the principles in which they had been 
educated, could hardly fail to obliterate from their minds 
all the influences of the christian religion, and could be 
regarded only as a return to heathenism. To redeem 
every girl received into the Mission School, so as to acquire 
the undisputed right to retain her as long as they pleased, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 31 

seemed to the missionaries the only alternative. This 
<course might seem to countenance the odious custom, 
and to some, it appeared wholly objectionable ; yet, if it 
were not taken, all hope of benefiting the degraded 
females of Africa must be abandoned It was, there- 
fore, finally adopted, and all girls now received into the 
Mission, are either secured by the payment of the be- 
trothment money to the parents, or redeemed from a 
former purchaser. 

At the same time, a written pledge is given by the 
missionary for her support and education, promising also, 
that as soon as she reach a suitable age, she shail be dis- 
posed of in marriage. In this way wives are secured 
for the boys, and many happy couples now rejoice in 
their emancipation from the cruel custom of their fathers- 



CHAPTER IIL 

Removal to Mt. Vaughan— Sheppard's Lake — The Palm-tree and Mangrove— 
Grahway — Use of Greegrees — Manner of Making Doctors — Half Cavalla — 
Description of Country— Interview with King Baphro. 

On the 4th of March, the Mission family removed 
from the Cape to Mt. Vaughan ; so called in honor of the 
He v. John A. Vaughan, under whose adminstration, as 
Secretary of the Board, the enterprise had been com- 
menced. Easter was the day selected upon which to 
enter fully upon their Missionary operations. 

Dr. Savage now decided upon paying a visit to two 
neighboring kings, whose children were members of the 
school. The following extract from his journal contains 
much useful and interesting information : 

"April 14th, 1837. On the morning of the 4th 
instant I embarked, in company with Mr. Thompson, 
the children who were natives of that region, and six 
Kroomen,^ in a canoe, upon Sheppard's Lake, for Grah- 

* The term " Kroomas," is, without doubt, derived from the 
original name of the tribe inhabiting the region around Settra 
Kroo, which is " Karoo." They were the first to leave their na- 
tive country and act the part of servants and boatmen along the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 33 

way ; a town situated upon the coast, at a distance of 
about eight miles to the leeward of Cape Palmas. This 
lake is a beautiful sheet of water, extending about eight 
miles. It is nearly parallel, throughout, with the sea- 
coast, from which it is separated, in many places, only 
by a narrow bank of sand thrown up by the surf; thus 
evidently showing that, originally, it was but a bay, or 
arm of the sea. Large quantities of fine fish are obtained 
once or twice during the year, by draining the lake. 
This is done by a collection of native boys, who, with 
their hands and sticks, dig a trench in the narrowest 
part of the bank towards the ocean, when the rush of 
waters soon breaks an outlet into the sea. A bank is 
again raised by the returning surf, and the usual quan- 
tity of water, soon renewed by the rains and tributary 
streams. An excursion upon this lake, affords to the 
admirer of nature, a scene of beauty and surpassing in- 
terest. Its banks are mantled with perpetual verdure of 
the richest hue. From their sloping sides ascend those 
trees which give to a tropical country its striking and 
unique appearance. The palm, the pride of tropical 

coast. The name was, for some time, confined to them, till, by 
the enlistment of others, it has become generic. The Krooman's 
mark consists of a line of dark blue color beneath the cuticle, 
drawn from between the eyes on the forehead to the tip of the 
nose, about the eight of an inch in width ; and a figure some- 
thing in the form of a spear head, its point in conjunction with the 
outer angle of the eye, and extending backward upon the temples. 
Slaves dare not buy nor steal any one bearing this mark, for so 
dependent are they upon their agency, that the consideration of 
their vengeance as the probable consequence, restrains this act of 
cupidity. 

2* 



34 HISTORY OF 

climates, rivals all others in the grandeur of its appear- 
ance ; ascending to a height of twenty, forty, sixty, and 
even a hundred feet, it confines all its foliage to its very 
summit. I have seen four species in this vicinity. And 
here, it may not be improper to give a short account of 
the practical uses of the palm among the natives. 

" The palm affords a nut, which, to the Africans, is 
at once, a great source of food and wealth. When ripe, 
it is a rich and delicious fruit, possessing a good degree 
of nutriment. From this nut is obtained the palm oil, 
which is every year becoming in commerce a more im- 
portant article of export. The demand is steadily in- 
creasing in Europe and America, inasmuch as it is made 
the basis of the refined and cosmetic soaps. The pro- 
cess by which it is obtained, though rude, is simple, 
and involves the principles of like operations in all civi- 
lized countries. The nuts are gathered at certain sea- 
sons, carried to a convenient watering place, then 
bruised in a mortar, and poured into a canoe of cold 
water. The pulp is then agitated and squeezed by the 
hand till all the oil which can be thus expressed, floats 
upon the surface. It is then skimmed off, and put in 
earthen pots and jars of native manufacture, for use and 
market. It is now in its crude state ; and is so used for 
food and other purposes by the colonists and natives. 
Its color is a deep yellow, approaching to red. When 
clarified, it is as colorless as lard, and then forms an oil 
for the table, not inferior to that of the olive. The 
price of the oil here, is one dollar, or two bars (of to- 
bacco) for a croo. The nominal value of a bar is fifty 
cents. The volume of a croo is four gallons. With a 



T1HE AFRICAN MISSION. 35 

slight degree of clarification, palm oil is equal, and many 
think superior, for light, to any obtained from the 
whale. It is much cheaper, and we hope ere long, 
will be offered for sale in that state which is proper 
for the lamp. Besides the oil, a fluid is obtained from 
this species, which, as it is drawn from the tree, is 
sweet and highly pleasant to the taste. This is the na- 
tive wine of Africa. Within twenty-four hours it under- 
goes the process of fermentation, and then contains 
about the same proportion of alcohol as American cider. 
If carried still farther, it forms a very sharp and plea- 
sant vinegar, inferior, however, to that made from the 
juice of the apple. The other species of palm, common 
to this region, are, the palmetto, very much like the 
cabbage of the South, in the United States, — and the 
cocoa-nut. 

"A no less striking object, on near approach, is the 
Mangrove, — Rhisophora,- t -a tree as full of mystery in 
modern, as in ancient times. One great peculiarity is, 
the habit of shooting its branches into the water and 
earth below, forming new trunks and trees, till whole 
forests thus spring up, within the dark recesses of 
which ; crocodiles and other aquatic animals find a 
lurking-place. From these mangrove-forests, these 
hiding-places of water serpents and other reptiles, 
proceed those nameless things, which seem to have their 
origin and place, in the theory only, of some medical 
authors, the tales of travellers, and the Peter Parley's 
of the day. They are represented as coming forth in 
millionary numbers, and, with the blight of their wings, 
spreading far and wide the seeds of disease and death 



35 HISTORY OF 

in the atmosphere of Africa. These invisible, infinitesi- 
mal creatures, or principles, I need not say, I have been 
unable to see or detect. No one, nor all, of my senses, 
have yet proved adequate to such a task. They remain, 
therefore, as I found them, in the books and brains of 
others. I can find no other ground for disease, in a 
general sense, than what exists in a change of climate, — 
its necessary effect upon the system of strangers. And 
as to local causes, they do not differ, so far as I can see, 
from those which facts prove to be common in all new 
countries. These, I find sufficient to account, primarily, 
for all the disease I have yet seen, peculiar to Africa. 
Add to these, the dissipated habits of some, and the 
great imprudence of others, and it will be unnecessary 
to look much farther for causes of disease. 

"After a delightful sail of about two hours, we arrived 
at the town of Grahway, or Grahway Point. Its en- 
trance, like almost all the towns of Western Africa 
along the coast, is guarded by a 'greegree house.' 
This, generally, consists of two bee-hives, decorated 
with feathers, goat horns, rags, &c. Trees are gener- 
ally seen, too, with refuse of all kinds thrown around 
the roots, and guarded from the contact of profane hands 
and feet by a high paling. These senseless things are 
objects of great veneration with the Africans, and are 
supposed to exert an influence in warding off, and ap- 
peasing the anger, and conciliating the favor of evil spi- 
rits. We found the king of this town absent ; and were 
received, therefore, by his head trademan. I asked 
what good these things without life could do. The re 
ply was, ' great deal ; the people be bad people, — the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 37 

devil get among them, so they kill one another, — and 
some be sick, — sick head, sick leg, and ebery ting bad, — 
bad too much ; we send for devil man (doctor) he come, 
— he put up greegee, — he cure 'em all, — no sick now, — - 
all ting go on fine, — be good people, — and dat de good 
they do.' Soon, this wonderful man appeared, and a for- 
mal introduction took place between the African and the 
American Doctor. The African insignia of his office 
are, a long, bushy beard, and a monkey skin thrust un- 
der his left arm. These poor deluded people had sent 
nearly a hundred miles up the coast, for the services of 
this celebrated agent of the Evil One." 

" The manner of inducting a candidate into this im- 
portant office is as follows. The individual is first 
seized with a violent shaking or ague all over. In this 
condition he continues, at intervals, for several months. 
In the meantime he becomes solitary and abstracted, 
communing with himself in an unintelligible jargon. 
His friends, after some difficulty, extract from him the 
secret cause of his malady. He declares that the Devil 
has called him to be a doctor, and has threatened heavy 
calamities to himself and his people should he refuse the 
office. He is then recommended to study the art, and 
various ceremonies are performed by way of introducing 
him to his preparatory course. Among others, his head 
is shaved, and his hair deposited with the man whom 
he first acquaints with his call. He then attaches him- 
self to one or more regular fetish men, and spends seve- 
ral months, perhaps a year or two, in studying the 
various remedies for disease, manner of preparing gree- 
grees, &c. During his novitiate, he is permitted to wear 



33 History of 

no clothing except such as is made from monkey skina 
or grass, nor is he allowed to wash, except in the rain. 
At the expiration of this period, he returns to his friends, 
accompanied by his preceptor. A large meeting of 
Devil-men is called, and numerous ceremonies are again 
thought necessary before he can be inducted into office. 
The grand test is to be made of his proficiency in the 
sublimest mysteries of the craft. The hea,d of a dog is 
cut off and secreted in a jungle ; and he is commanded 
to find it. The instructor and his pupil place themselves in 
the centre of a circle, formed by a large number of specta- 
tors. The Devil is invoked, and all the resources of the 
magic art are employed. On a sudden, the candidate 
shakes violently, leaps up, and is driven, by a supernat- 
ural impulse, to the spot where the dog's head was 
concealed. He returns in triumph with the trophy, and 
becomes licensed to trade in all the ' lying wonders' of 
his profession. Women, as well as men, are admitted 
to this office." 

From G-rahway Dr. Savage and his party continued 
their journey to the next considerable town, Half Ca- 
valla, distant about six miles. Leaving the beach here, 
they struck what is called a bush path* designing to 
take canoes at a given point upon the Cavalla River, 
and descend to King Baphros', whose town, Grand Ca- 
valla, is at its mouth. " By this course," he continues 
in his journal, " we passed through a succession of rich 
bottomed lands and beautiful meadows, more fertile, if 
possible, than any yet seen. Here we saw whole or- 
chards of the finest plantains, pawpaws, bananas, &c. 
Many of the former were, at least, thirty feet high. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 39 

Lime trees, with their rich foliage and golden fruit, most 
beautifully diversified the scene. As we approached 
the towns, groups of natives would surround us, with 
bowls filled with the delicious fruits of the region, and 
urging them upon our acceptance." 

From such facts, one is disposed to look upon the 
Africans as the most hospitable people in the world. 
When, however, you are about to leave them, they fail 
not to beg for more than an equivalent for their hospi- 
talities. The Cavalla is a beautiful river, skirted by 
the same trees which I have seen along the banks of 
other rivers on other parts of the coast ; such as the 
mangrove, the teak, dragon's blood and others, with a 
variety of shrubs peculiar to a tropical region, present- 
ing a scene of vegetation of the richest possible verdure. 
It varies from three fourths, to a mile, in width, is fresh 
to its very mouth, and flows with great rapidity ; so 
much so, that its immense volume of water, meeting 
the swell of the ocean, causes a fearful surf, which 
breaks, with the roar of thunder, upon the beaten shore. 
This river is of considerable importance to us in our fu- 
ture operations upon the interior. It penetrates to an 
unknown extent. 

Nations, for a long distance up, are known to inhabit 
its banks, who have no hope and are without God in the 
world ; thousands and tens of thousands sunk in the 
deepest moral degradation ; cannibals — human beings who 
devour the flesh, and drink the blood of their fellow 
men, live within one hundred miles of the mouth of the 
Cavalla River ; within two hundred miles of the Chris- 
tian settlement, the Missionary Station at Cape Palmas. 



40 HISTORY OF 

This river will convey, upon its swelling bosom, to their 
very doors, the law of God. # * * # * Oh ! where 
are the devoted, self denying sons of God, — where are 
the disciples of the meek and lowly Jesus, whom he 
commanded to "Go into all the world and preach the 
Gospel to every creature ?" Are they slumbering over 
the miseries, the fearful condition of these Africans ? 
Are they slumbering in the fold of Christ, the arms of 
Jesns, when the soul-agonizing cry of millions daily as- 
cends towards heaven for the bread of life ? No, no ! 
this cannot be. It is not. The arms of Jesus embrace 
no soul who feels not as he felt, who weeps not as he 
wept, over the ruined, undying souls of men. He came 
to save such as these — for these, he came to die. And 
it is such as these, whom his followers must go to save — 
for these, they must be willing even to die. " If any 
man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his." 

As one object of Dr. Savage in visiting the kings, 
was to prove to them his desire to do them and their 
children good, he held a short exhibition in their pre- 
sence, consisting of exercises in reading, reciting, enu- 
merating, &c. The effect upon the Baphro is thus de- 
scribed : " During the exercises of the boys, deep emo- 
tion was visible in every feature and action. He changed 
his seat three times, and his posture, many more. One 
moment he would stand erect, wrapt in thought, with- 
out the movement of a muscle ; then he would throw 
himself upon his couch, and, extended at full length, 
give vent to his emotions through large volumes of 
smoke, as they rolled from his pipe. When our short 
exercises were over, Baphro rose, and slowly folding 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 41 

his arms, said, in a deep, solemn tone, ' white man 
know ebery ting. Black man know noting. All he 
eber know come from white man. My old fader live 
here, and die a fool. I live here, and I die a fool, but 
dat boy (pointing to his son,) he know someting. Ah ! 
white man pass black man. White man be good — he 
come to do black man good. Yes ! white man live in 
my heart, and all he do live, in my heart too, (putting 
his hand on his breast in an emphatic manner,) and I 
be white man's friend.' " 

The expression, " live in my heart," implies the 
warmest approbation. Leaving Grand Cavalla, Dr. 
Savage extended his journey eight or nine miles further 
along the coast, to Rockbookah. Here he was kindly 
received, and as the exercises of the scholars were wit- 
nessed, by a larger number, the expressions of pleasure 
and surprise were proportionally louder. 



CHAPTER IY. 

Desire of natives for schools — Ideas of the Supreme Being — Dr. Savage's jour- 
ney to Deneh — Curious illustration of superstitions — Sassa Wood — Nalli- 
cott- Incident on the river — Oracle of Grand Devil at Hedia — King's hos- 
pitality — Heathen customs. 

Dr. Savage returned to Mt. Vaughan, quite encouraged 
by the friendly feeling which had been evinced by the 
people, and their repeated requests for the establishment 
of schools. In subsequent excursions in other directions, 
he found the desire for instruction universally prevalent. 
It is true that this desire arose from no sense of their 
moral and religious degradation, for, having no idea of 
sin as an offence against God, they could have no con- 
sciousness of the need of the Gospel. Although ac- 
knowledging a Supreme Being, called Gnisuah, the 
Africans have no conception of his character and attri- 
butes. He is regarded by them as the Creator, but not 
as the Governor of the universe. This they seem to re- 
gard as given up to the dominion of the prince of dark- 
ness, who is the sole object of their worship. The whole 
aim of their religious ceremonies seems to be to turn 
away the wrath of this dreaded being ; and their lives 
^are passed in continual fear of his malign influences. 
The existence of subordinate evil spirits is also acknow- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 43 

ledged, and these share their superstitious reverence 
and fear. But while indifferent to the glad tidings of 
the heralds of salvation, they cannot but see and ac- 
knowledge the superiority of the Europeans; and desire, 
as they express it in their own vague manner, to " sabby 
book," that they may be "fine like white man." " They 
wish," says Dr. Savage, " to know the white man's 
God, because they think by so doing they shall become 
the white man's equal : and this is encouragement to 
missionary effort. This is a door — a door opened — - 
through which the light of the Gospel may be brought 
to strike upon their benighted minds." 

The journey, of which some account is given above, 
was made in April, 1837. The following month, Dr. 
Savage pursued his inquiries to Deneh, a town situated 
on the Cavalla river, about forty miles from its mouth, 
and the same distance from Cape Palmas. A few ex- 
tracts from his journal, on this occasion, will serve to 
throw additional light upon the manners and customs 
of the people. 

"May 17th, 1837, — Embarked, this morning, about 
half past ten o'clock, upon Sheppard's Lake, for ' Grah- 
way Point,' accompanied by Mr. T. and the usual com- 
plement of Kroomen. Cool and pleasant — the ther- 
mometer standing at 78 degrees in the shade — arrived 
at Grahway, and found the inhabitants in great commo- 
tion from the following cause : A thunder storm had 
occurred two nights before, during which a house was 
burnt. Such an event, seen through the medium of su- 
perstition, could be the result of nothing short of witch- 
craft. Hence, according to the usual custom, a consul- 



44 HISTORY OF 

tation was held with the ' Devil,' or ' G-reegee man,' 
and an accusation brought against • one of their num- 
ber. The charge was that of ' calling down lightning 
from heaven, and maliciously consuming the house of 
an unoffending citizen !' He confessed his guilt, and, 
in doing so, implicated two others as his abettors. The 
result was, as usual, the administration of the 'red 
water.' It is supposed to be very poisonous. It can- 
not be so, however, for the great quantity required to 
destroy life, proves that it is but moderately deleterious. 
The bulk of fluid itself, would be sufficient, in many 
cases, to produce death. It is, however, the cause 
of death to thousands in this heathen land. 

" The man who confessed, had taken his portion 
before our arrival, and having escaped its fatal effects 
was now going at large through the town. I asked the 
principal actor in this scene, if he really believed that 
man capable of doing what had been charged against 
him. His reply was, " spose him no do him, tink him 
say yes, when he know it be sassy wood palaver ? Ugh ! 
I no tink so." They have another custom which, I 
hope, proved the means of arresting all farther proceed- 
ings in this diabolical affair. It is this. If a stranger 
of distinction arrive at the time, the criminal is entitled 
to an escape. Being viewed in this light by them, I 
have reason to believe that I was the means of saving 
one of the two implicated, from a cruel death. 

"The 'red water' here referred to, is a poisonous 
decoction made from the bark of a tree, (a species of 
laurel,) and administered as a test of guilt or innocence, 
in accusations of crime. In a concentrated form, it is a 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 4.3 

powerful narcotic, and in larger quantities, an emetic. 
The idea involved in the administration is, that a spirit 
accompanies the draught, and searches the heart of the 
suspected individual lor his guilt. If he be innocent, the 
spirit returns with the finid in the act of ejection, hut 
\£ guilty, it remains to do more surely the work of de- 
struction." 

Dr. Savage passed the first night of his journey at 
Nallicott, a town about three miles from the mouth of 
the Cavalla ; and gives the following account of an in- 
cident which occurred the next morning. " We left 
Nallicott in two canoes, ourKroomen keeping 'time, with 
their paddles, to one of their rude, but not unpleasant 
songs. We had not proceeded far, when the cry of 
' Snake in the tree !' ' Snake in the tree !' was heard, 
pjid a serpent was discovered on a branch directly over 
our heads. Every arm was now exerted to the utmost, 
and our frail bark literally darted from beneath our dan- 
gerous foe. The feeling excited by this occurrence had 
no sooner subsided, than another cry was heard, — ' Snake 
crosses the river !' and another was seen wending his 
way to the opposite side. These reptiles are objects -of 
great dread to the Africans. Their bite is said to be 
fatal. Their habit is to ascend an overhanging tree 
and suddenly dart into the passing canoe. When this 
happens the natives invariably abandon it. 

" A highly attractive object to my New England eye, 
was maize, so frequently seen upon the banks of this 
river ; and another, no less reviving my southern asso- 
ciations, was rice ; both of which are produced here in 
perfection. 



46 HISTORY OF 

" We arrived at Hedia at 12 o'clock. It is called 
Grand Devil Town, from the fact that Grand Devil 
Place is within its limits, and that here, resides the 
priest who performs the ceremonies attending all visits 
of inquiry. This town may be called the Delphi of 
Western Africa ; the Grand Devil Place, its oracle, stand- 
ing in very much the same relation to the inhabitants, 
as Delphi, in ancient Greece, to that country. I have 
often made inquiries respecting the degree of influence 
which this imposture has upon the minds of the natives, 
and have discovered that, among the older ones, it is re- 
garded with feelings of mystery and reverence ; but its 
hold upon the younger, is more feeble. It subserves the 
same purposes as the oracle of olden time ; success or 
failure in. matters of high moment are divined, and the 
accomplishment of a given desire, either public or pri- 
vate, secured." 

We interrupt the course of the Dr's. Journal here, 
to introduce some further account of the same spot after- 
wards given by another missionary.* 

"The shrine of the oracle, as I have been informed 
by those who visited it, is a large perpendicular rock, 
with a cavity in the centre, from which leads a hole 
or fissure to the top. The priest secretes himself 
within this cavity, and the fissure serves as the channel 
of communication. When all things are prepared, a 
colloquy something like the following ensues : 

" Priest. Well, you no come here for war greegee— 
did you ? 

" Ansiver. No ! 

* Rev. Mr. Henning. 



THE AFRICAN" MISSION. 47 

" P. You no come for sick greegee? 

"A. No! 

"P. You no come for woman palaver ? 

H A. No! 

" P. You no come for trade greegee ? 

"A. No! 

" P. Well ; what did you come for? 

*• A I come for fish greegee ! 

" P. Well ; didn't I tell you so first time? What for 
you no say so? Answer me right. 

" The simple dupe retires, awe-struck by the reflec- 
tion, that his most secret thoughts have been read by 
the great magician." 

" Instances are known," continues Dr. S., " where 
persons have come, for hundreds of miles, in different 
directions, for consultation ; and certain European trad- 
ers, who have permanent factories upon the coast, we 
are informed, have resorted to its impositions to facilitate 
the accomplishment of their purposes. It is a spot well 
selected for the object in view, difficult of access, dark 
and gloomy— -circumstances well calculated to inspire 
the superstitious mind with fear and reverence. 

"Leaving Hedia, we were cheered by the fact, that 
our next stopping place would be Deneh. Here, for the 
first time, I saw the African monkey. The natives set 
a high value upon this animal as an article of food. 
Monkey soup is, to them, what turtle soup is to us. On 
their 'bill of fare,' and esteemed as delicacies, will be 
found many things from which the civilized mind shrinks 
with disgust ; such as reptiles, the different kind of ver- 
min, &c. The usual method of taking the monkey is asfol- 



48 HISTORY OF 

lows : When one or more is seen, they are immediately- 
surrounded by the hunters. Springing from tree to 
tree, they chatter, for a time, defiance to their pursuers. 
In an unwary moment, they congregate upon another, 
more lofty or isolated, near the river bank. The natives 
now arrange themselves so as to prevent their escape. 
The tree is felled, and the monkeys plunge into the 
water. The natives follow, and, being more expert at 
swimming, they soon disable their prey with clubs, and 
return in triumph to their homes. 

" Within two or three miles of Deneh the scenery 
begins to change its character. The banks of the river 
become more elevated, till, near the town, they are 
strikingly so. It Was about six o'clock when we found 
ourselves drawing near, and seven before we arrived. 
The sun had set behind the highlands without a cloud 
intercepting its rays ; a rich mellow light overspread the 
surface of nature, and softened its wildness to an aspect 
of sweet serenity. Even the heathen felt its soft in- 
fluence. The song of the boatmen had ceased, and 
hardly a sound was heard save the rippling of the wa- 
ters, as our frail bark moved gently onwards. The 
news of our coming had preceded us, and watchmen 
were on the look out for our approach Soon the cry 
was heard — ' Kubi di ! Kubi di ! White man comes ! 
White man comes !' A small bcay opened, and the land- 
ing place was discovered, crowded with natives to re 
ceive us. I was conducted, fatigued and unwell, to the 
house of the king, which was large and comfortable. 
Being a white man and a stranger, I was, as usual, an 
object of curiosity, and, consequently, annoyed by a 



YHfc AFRICAN MISSl<ft*. 49 

crowd of visitors; I say annoyed, because 1 was under 
the mysterious influence of an intermittent. Such cir- 
cumstances, however, can be made profitable, for they 
often try, to the utmost, one's patience. At my request 
that the king would disperse his people, the house was 
soon cleared, and I was left, for the night, to reflection 
and repose. 

" 19th. Obtained but little rest through the night 
-^-quite ill this morning; as the day advanced my health 
improved. Had an interview with the king, and found 
him very desirous that schools should be established for 
his people. He seems mild, pleasant and hospitable, 
and appears to have the good of his people at heart. 
Having accomplished my object, as I thought, I designed 
to leave in the afternoon, in time to reach one of King 
Tom's towns on the river, and there spend the night. 
But no sooner was this discovered by my host, than he 
came into the hut with his head man, and began, in a 
fervid and eloquent manner, to show me its impropriety. 
His argument was as follows: 'You be new man — 
no live in my country long time, him no sabby you 
proper now — (i. e is not congenial to your Constitution,) 
you come long Way look me — make you sick — spose you 
go down the river, be bad palaver — make you more sick 
— you die ; then me no look on you more — no ! you be 
sick plenty — you live here to-day, me do you good fash 
— no man look you — you get sleep — then you be well. 
My heart no speak all yet ; plenty ting live there — that 
time you be better, then I bring my head men — we 
speak all palaver about school. Then you sleep next 
day — plenty men carry you softly through the bush— 
3 



50 * HISTORY Of 

plenty tree live there — no let sun look you, and* you g& 
home fine.' Such were the sentiments and feelings of 
this heathen man, as made known to me through an in- 
terpreter. I had no cause to doubt his sincerity." 

Dr. Savage accepted the king's invitation to remain 
another day, and then commen«Bd his homeward journey. 
On his route he visited two or three other towns, where, 
however,, he was less hospitably received. ATith a glance 
at one or two heathen customs, not yet mentioned, we 
conclude our extracts from his journal on this occasion. 

" While in Deneh, a woman had fallen under the 
suspicion of her husband ; twice was she rescued, by us, 
from the dreadful punishment inflicted in such cases, viz : 
thrusting her hands into a cauldron of boiling oil ! If 
the wretched victim escape without denuded fleshy 
(more often bones in reality,) she is pronounced inno- 
cent ; but if not, guilty ! In the latter case, the admin- 
istration, to death, of the horrible red water, or sassa 
wood, is sure to follow." 

" In Barracah, I saw an enclosure about four feet in 
height, and as many in diameter, made of sticks, and 
filled with beach sand brought upon the heads of the na- 
tives, from a point thirty miles distant. I approached,, 
and, putting my hand into the sand, asked what it was 
for. An exclamation of horror burst from the surround- 
ing crowd, and all seemed to look as if they expected me 
4 to swell or fall down suddenly ;' but after they had 
looked a great while and saw no harm come to me, they 
changed their minds, and concluded that ■ black man's 
fetish no fit white man.' ' Fetish no be for white- 
man,' say they, whenever the folly of thek superstition 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 51 

is thus fully demonstrated, — ' Witch, can't touch him.' 
It seems that this was the public fetish of the Barracah 
people, and had been placed in the centre of the town 
that it might equally exert its influence over the whole !" 



CHAPTER V. 

Arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Payne and Mr. Minor — Failure of Dr. Savage's 
health — Cause — Different dialects of natives — Dr. S. returns to U. S. — At- 
tempt to open a Station at Garraway— Death of Mr. Thompson — Manner 
of preparing farms. 

On the 4th July, 1837, the heart of the lone pioneer 
was cheered by the arrival of his associates, Mr. Minor 
and Mr. and Mrs. Payne. Through the blessing of God 
on his skilful treatment, they all passed through the ac- 
climating fever in safety ; but the accumulation of care 
and anxiety proved too much for his already enfeebled 
strength, and, in December following, he was compelled 
to seek a temporary respite from his labors. The arri- 
val of a vessel bound to Monrovia, afforded him the de- 
sired opportunity, and he embarked Dec. 28th, leaving 
his associates able to assume the charge of the Mission. 
In reference to this, he writes : " I do wish the true 
cause of my illness to be well understood. Till my as- 
sociates arrived, and for more than a month after, my 
health was good. They came in the midst of the rainy 
season. The morning of their arrival saw me walking 
into the Cape, in health, to meet them. In their eyes, 
I had not changed. My complexion and general ap- 
pearance indicated, to them, as good health as I had en- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 53 

joyed in America. They found me alone, pressed by 
numerous duties, and themselves upon my hands, the 
objects of deep anxiety. Such a state of things necessa- 
rily continued for a time, and our quinine gone, repeated 
attacks of the ague and fever brought me low. Hepatic 
derangements were the sure consequence, bringing, in 
their train, great suffering and danger of life. It is my 
firm belief that, under different circumstances, my health 
would still have been good. I do not believe this climate 
to be necessarily fatal to the white man's constitu- 
tion or health. That it involves much, and, often, 
great suffering, with a thousand circumstances of severe 
trial, we all cheerfully admit ; and even that life, for 
years to come, will be shortened by it. Yet it is at the 
same time no less true, that, with a moderate share of 
prudence, we can live here and enjoy good health, 
(though it cannot be permanently as good as we might 
expect, in our native climate,) and above all, labor for 
years to save, from eternal death, hundreds and thou- 
sands and millions of our fellow beings. If Christians 
ask more, they m ,ust go to other fields,?' * **.#■■# * 
" The interior, in every direction from us, is occupied 
by populous towns, containing from 1000 to 1500 
souls. Indeed, we may extend a line from Cape Pal- 
mas, fifty miles into the interior, and, within the arc it 
would describe from the windward to the leeward coast, 
we should find, it is estimated, not less than 60 or 70,000 
persons, and all willing, to say the least, to receive a 
teacher. Scattered over this tract of country, we should 
find many different tribes, with different dialects, yet 
not so different as to prevent an intelligent Grebo (the 



54 HISTORY OF 

tribe at Cape Palmas) from understanding or being un- 
derstood in any other tribe. That all spring originally 
from the same stock, is evident from the fact that there 
are many words common to all these dialects, and many 
more, derived from the same roots. Their numerals 
exhibit but a shade of difference. The inference then 
is, that it is highly important to reduce these dialects to 
a common written language."* 

When Dr. Savage embarked from Monrovia, it was 
with the design of visiting America ; but having learned, 
on his arrival at that place, that a vessel had passed for 
Cape Palmas, which he had reason to suppose brought 
him communications from the Committee, he deter- 
mined to return to the Cape, and await another oppor- 
tunity. By this arrangement, his departure for America 
was delayed until the 30th of April, 1838. He arrived 
safely in his native land in June following. During his 
absence, his fellow laborers were actively engaged in the 
duties of the Mission. A Sabbath school was opened 
among the natives at the Cape, and the Gospel was 
regularly preached in the neighboring towns. Some ex- 
cursions were also made into the interior, in which pre- 
liminary steps were taken towards the establishment of 
inland Stations, but the jealousies existing between the 
different native tribes, prevented the execution of the 
plan. The coast people are, generally, hostile to the 
interior tribes, and unwilling that they should hold any 
direct intercourse with foreigners. The greatest insult 

* Since the above was written, the Grebo language has been 
reduced to writing, and large portions of the New Testament have 
been translated. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 55 

which can he offered to a coast native is to call him a 
44 bushman." The articles purchased, by the former, 
from the white man, are sold to the latter., at an exorbit- 
ant advance, and, as education would enable him to de- 
tect the imposition, it is, of course, opposed by his dis- 
honest neighbor. It is only by the dissemination of 
Christian principles among the natives of the coast, that 
this opposition can be overcome. 

Another serious drawback upon the operations of 
the Mission, was experienced, in this year, from the dif- 
ficulties which arose between the natives and the Ame- 
rican colonists. In the view of the natives, the mis- 
-sionaries were identified with the colonists, and the re- 
sentment felt towards the one, under real or imaginary 
wrongs, was mutually extended to the other. These 
views led to an attempt to establish one or more sta- 
tions without the boundaries of the colony. In August, 
Mr. Minor visited the town of Garraway, on the wind- 
ward coast, about thirty miles from Cape P almas, where 
his proposal to open a school was favorably received. 
When, however, he renewed his visit in September, for 
the purpose of completing the arrangement, unexpected 
obstacles presented themselves. The Bushmen were 
present, and who, for some unexplained reason seemed to 
exercise controlling influence, opposed the settlement of 
a missionary ; saying that learning was of no use, since it 
did not enable a man to get money, and that if Mr. 
Minor came, other Americans would come and form a 
colony, and that, when a vessel arrived, he would send 
" a book" on board and stop the trade in rum, as Dr. 
Hall had done at Cape Palmas. Mr. Minor was, there- 
fore, compelled to abandon his design. 



56 HI STOUT OF 

The school at Mt. Vaughan continued in a flourish- 
ing condition ; the male department containing twenty- 
five scholars, and the female twelve ; all but five, being 
the children of natives. There had been an accession t© 
the Mission during the year. Mr. E. S. Byron, a com- 
municant from Grace Church, Boston, was sent out, By 
the committee, as an assistant teacher, and Mr. M. Ap- 
pleby, a young man from Baltimore, was also employed 
in the same capicity. In a letter, dated December, 
1838,. Mr. Payne notices the death of Mr. James M. 
Thompson. Although, at one time-, suspended from the 
employment of the Mission, on account of charges at 
fecting his character as a religious teacher, Mr. Thomp- 
son gave, in his last illness, gratifying evidence of pre- 
paration for the great change. On the morning before 
his death, he expressed, in the last words that he spoke,, 
his unshaken faith in the promises of God, and a firm 
hope of his acceptance through Christ. Mrs. Thomp- 
son's valuable services were secured for the Mission, and 
she proved a very efficient teacher in the female depart- 
ment of the school. 

In describing one of the journeys made, at this time, 
into the interior, Mr. Payne says : "Our road led us 
through the section of country which one or two fami- 
lies are preparing for the reception of rice, the present 
year. I had, therefore, a good opportunity of observing 
the manner of preparation, and also, of forming some es- 
timate of the industry of the people. The land is cleared 
in the following manner. With a piece of flat iron, 
called a bill-hook, they cut out all the grass and under- 
growth. The larger trees are then felled, either by the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION'. 57 

small axes of the natives, or by fire. The whole is 
then suffered to remain until perfectly dry, when fire 
is communicated, presenting scenes of the most sublime 
and awful character." The labor of ]jla?iti?ig the 
farms is principally performed by women. It is a slow 
and tedious process. Instead of sowing the rice broad- 
cast, they make small holes in the ground with a pointed 
iron, and deposite a few grains in each, drawing the 
earth over them with the foot. This is done in April, 
immediately before the rainy season, .which commences 
in May, and the harvest is reaped in August. 
3* 



CHAPTER VI. 

Sailing- of new missionaries — Illness and death of Mrs. Savage — Lines by 3Ir& 
Sigourney. 

In December, 1839, the ship Emperor sailed from 
New- York, taking out the Rev. Dr. Savage and Mr. 
George A. Perkins, with their wives. Mrs. Savage 
was the daughter of Mr. John Metcalf, of Fredericks- 
burg, Va., and long an active member of St. George's 
Church, in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were com- 
municants of St. Peter's Church, Salem. The friends 
of the Mission, cheered by this large accession to its 
numbers, looked forward with sanguine hope, to its in- 
creased prosperity and usefulness. But alas ! in the 
mysterious providence of God, they were destined to a 
severe trial of faith. The very first arrival from the 
coast, after this little band had landed on its shores, 
brought the intelligence of Mrs. Savage's death. We 
extract the following account of this sad event from the 
Southern Churchman, in which it was published at the 
time. 

" Information of the death of Mrs. Savage, the wife of 
the Rev. Thomas S. Savage, M. D., one of our mission- 
aries to Cape Palmas, has just been received, and we 
join, suddenly and sadly, in the general expression of 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 59 

grief which it has called forth. A long acquaintance 
with her bereaved husband, both in college and since, 
awakens in us more than common sympathy for him. 
May the sanctifying grace of God, of which we are sure 
he possesses a more than common share, make this severe 
affliction productive of much good here, both to him and 
his mission, and an eternal weight of glory hereafter. 
Let no Judas among the disciples of Christ ask the ques- 
tion — ' For what purpose is this waste V We doubt not 
that this event, caused by an unreserved consecration 
on the part of our departed sister, is more precious 
and fragrant in the estimation of that Saviour whom she 
loved, than that alabaster box of ointment with which 
Mary once anointed his feet. ' Blessed are the dead who 
die in the Lord.' Here is the consolation for all — her 
husband, her parents, and the mission to which she had 
devoted herself. She is happy ; and if so, who will hesi- 
tate to tread in her footsteps ? Men of worldly heroism 
do not usually retreat from the battle, merely because 
they behold a few of their companions falling in the front 
ranks. This result is expected, as a matter of course, in 
every engagement, and should serve to stimulate those 
who are behind, to occupy their places. The death of 
every missionary to Africa is like good seed sown upon 
good ground. It will spring up and bear much fruit. . 
Let us, therefore, rejoice that our sister was counted 
worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ." 

We subjoin the following letters in relation to this 
afflictive, but wise dispensation of divine Providence, one 
of which is from Mrs. Payne, to a friend in New- York, 
dated Cape Palmas, April 21st, 1839. 



50 HISTORY OF 

" I have now a sad and all-engrossing subject to write 
upon. God, in his wisdom, has seen fit to visit us with 
a severe affliction. Hitherto, we have written of his 
goodness in preserving our lives, and I doubt not, though 
hidden from us, it is equally manifested in the present 
dark and trying dispensation. Our dear sister, Mrs. 
Savage, was taken from us on Tuesday last, April 16th, 
after a severe illness of more than seven weeks. Her 
sufferings, from the commencement to the end of her 
illness, were continued and intense ; more so than I ever 
witnessed. Severe, however, as they were, they never 
elicited a murmur from this lovely Christian. ' I feel 
that it is all for my good, — not one pain too much,'— 
was a sentiment frequently expressed. I was permitted 
the mournful gratification of constantly attending on her 
sick bed, being kept from her by my own sickness only 
two days. From the first, she had the impression that 
her illness would be fatal, and never expressed a wish 
to recover. An earnest desire to depart and be with 
Christ was her predominant feeling. About two weeks 
before her death, she observed : ' I have given up all 
my friends,-— all earthly ties, — my dear husband was the 
last I could give up, but I have been enabled to do that 
now, and know that God will comfort and support him.' 
Throughout her illness, her mind was in a most tran- 
quil and happy frame. She often said, when I first en- 
tered her room in the morning : ' Oh, Anna, I have had 
such a delightful season. — such sweet views of God and 
heaven.' The love of the Saviour was a theme upon 
which she delighted to dwell, and even when too feeble 
to talk much herself, she took pleasure in hearing others 



THE AFRICAN M I S t? I O N . gj 

speak of it. * Go on, dear,' she would say to me, ' I 
love to hear you talk of the goodness of God.' The last 
week or two, she was extremely feeble, not able to raise 
herself in bed, and had several fainting fits. The calm 
and peaceful state of her mind might be inferred from a 
little circumstance which occurred the night before her 
death. The nurse was awakened by some one singing. 
She arose, and found, to her suprise, that it was Mrs. 
Savage. She sang, in her sleep, two or three verses of 
a favorite hymn ; the two last lines, the nurse told me, 
sounded more sweetly than anything she had ever heard. 
They were : 

' We're marching through Emmanuel's land, 
To fairer worlds on high.' 

May we not imagine that she was then enjoying a fore- 
taste of the happiness she was soon to realize ? When I 
went in, in the morning, she welcomed me with a sweet 
smile, and said she felt 'a great deal better,' — an ex- 
pression she had never before used. I was not, for a 
moment, deceived ; a change had evidently taken place, 
and I felt my heart sink at the conviction, which I had 
hitherto striven against, that we must lose her. Through- 
out the day, her mind was wandering, which it had 
never been before ; still there was nothing distressing 
about it ; all her imaginings were of a pleasurable na- 
ture, and she knew every one about her. She sunk 
gradually during the day, and> at half-past eleven at 
night, fell asleep in Jesus. I was forcibly reminded of 
the hymn — 

' Jesus can make a dying bed 
Feel soft as downy pillows are, 



g2 HISTORY OF 

While on his breast I lean my head, 
And breathe my life out sweetly there.' 

" Not one struggle, — not one long breath, — but quietly 
and sweetly as an infant falling to sleep, did she depart. 
Though holding her hand in mine, I was, for some time, 
unconscious that she had left us. Almost her last words 
were, in answer to a question, how the Saviour now 
appeared to her ? ' Chiefest among ten thousand, and 
altogether lovely.' The funeral took place the next af- 
ternoon." 

Extract from a Sermon on the death of Mrs. Savage, 
by the Rev. E. C.McGuire. 

" "We have dwelt thus far upon the animating topics of 
the text, as involving a suitable introduction to our in- 
tended remarks in reference to one, who, having from in- 
fancy, gone in and out among you, and, for some years, 
been numbered in this congregation with the followers 
of the Saviour, has recently yielded up her life on a far 
distant shore, in the honored cause of her ascended Lord 
and Master. But a brief season has elapsed since we 
saw her bearing a part in the devotional services of the 
sanctuary, and in those becoming duties and labors of 
love which happily engaged so much of the zeal and 
energy of her pious youth. Called in the midst of these, 
as she thought, to a more arduous and important field of 
Christian effort, she did not refuse the path of duty, nor 
shrink from the open prospect of inevitable hardship 
and probable mortality. To sever the cherished ties of 
domestic and social love, — to tear herself away from the 
friends and home of her youth, — and exchange them for 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 63 

a foreign, barbarous land, — demanded no ordinary exer- 
cise of moral purpose, of Christian heroism. But the 
infirmites of nature yielding to the energies of grace, the 
resolution was formed for the toils and sacrifices of the 
missionary cause. With a worthy companion who had 
devoted himself to the same work of Christ, in an un- 
friendly clime, she bade adieu to family and friends in 
November, of the last year, and in the following De- 
cember left her native shores for the scene of her future 
abode. Subjected, by a rough and tedious passage, to 
much bodily suffering, she reached Monrovia on the 1 9th 
of January last. From thence, she was enabled to ex- 
press her filial feelings in a postscript added to a letter 
written home by her husband. ' I only add a line to 
say I am better to day than I have been since we left 
our native shores, and am looking forward, with eager 
anticipations, to our arrival at home My love, just 
warm from the heart, to you and my dear mother. May 
God restore her to health, and spare her useful life for 
many, many years. Continue ever to pray for us, my 
dear father. May God preserve our lives and permit us 
to meet again on earth, and at last unite us around His 
throne in heaven, is the daily prayer of your devoted 
daughter.' 

"Remaining a few days at Monrovia, the vessel ar- 
rived at Cape Palmas on the 29th. "With her accustom- 
ed diligence, our sister entered upon the duties which 
awaited her. But scarcely had her domestic arrange- 
ments been completed, before the mysterious summons of 
the grave reached her in a violent attack of acclimating 
fever. During two tedious months did she meekly en- 



54 HISTORY OP 

dure her painful malady,* cheered by occasional symp- 
toms of convalesence, but mainly oppressed with suffer- 
ings so great as to intimate, distinctly, their fatal termi- 
nation, to herself and others. Whatever could be done 
by medical skill in the person of a devoted husband, and 
the untiring assiduities of sympathising female affection, 
was done to mitigate her trial and avert the melancholy 
issue, dreaded by them all. But everything was una- 
vailing. About the middle of April the foreboded hour 
arrived when, nature exhausted by suffering, she sunk 
into the arms of death, expiring without a sigh or a 
struggle. The day following, her remains were conveyed 
to the grave, in a corner of the Mission lot at Mt. Vaug- 
han, where they repose beneath the spreading branches 
of a few ever verdant palm-trees, within sound of the 
hoarse Atlantic, filling the ear of night, as it beats upon 
that fervid shore, with loud and ceaseless murmurs. 

" It will, no doubt, gratify many of you, my friends, to 
learn the spirit and frame of mind in which our departed 
sister passed through the furnace of affliction, to her re- 
ward in heaven. "We have abundant reason to bless 
God for the grace vouchsafed her, in the midst of severe 
and unwonted trials. That her confidence in Him was 
not misplaced, we have cheering proofs, manifested from 
the commencement to the close of her protracted trou- 
bles. A favorite devotional book, given her by a friend, 
contains these grateful indications in sundry passages, 
carefully marked with a pencil, as expressing sentiments 
especially selected and adopted by her, as her own. 

* Mrs. Savage's sufferings and death cannot be attributed 
solely to the fever. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. £5 

A.mong these, we find the following, in which, though 
dead, she now speaks in words of admonition to those 
who yet survive. 

" ■ What proportion, really, is there between the 
troubles of a moment, and an eternity of glory ? What 
proportion, between a few drops of gall, and this im- 
mense weight of glory ? Let us regard this necessity of 
suffering as a pleasure and welcome condition. Let us 
enter, with joy, upon this career in which Ave follow 
.Jesus ; in which so many of all ages, sexes and condi- 
tions, have preceded us. They have reached the desired 
haven. Let us press on, and we shall arrive there 
too.' 

"Again; ' If we suffer with Jesus, we shall also 
reign with him ; and, to make us sure of it, he calls our 
sufferings his afflictions. He bore your sins upon the 
cross ; would you shrink from the rest of his afflictions V 

" Again : ' In our tribulations we should consult the 
oracle of our Father, and seeking from him comfort and 
guidance, we should shed our tears into his bosom, and 
pour out, in his presence, the bitterness of our souls.' 

" W r ith a more cheerful spirit, perhaps, was the follow- 
ing meditation marked : ' Why do you fear to bear the 
cross which lays open to you the path to heaven ? 
There is no salvation for the soul, no hope of eternal life, 
if it be not in the cross. Take up then, thy cross ; fol- 
low Jesus and thou shalt attain unto everlasting life- 
He has gone before thee, bearing his cross, and died upon 
it that thou mightest bear thy cross, and wish to die 
upon it. Go where thou wilt, thou canst not find a path 
more lofty or more sure than the path of the cross.' 



gS HISTORY OP 

"With yet more of triumph, it would seem, she em- 
braced the following thoughts : £ Thou art then, even in 
this present life, oh ! Christ, my wisdom, my portion, 
my light, my redemption, my justification, my sanctifi- 
cation, my support and my life, my strength and my de- 
fence. But in another life, thou wilt be my perfection, 
my felicity, my reward.' 

"In a congenial frame, and with seemingly prophetic 
view, does she take up the animated strain — ' In this 
world, how is man defiled with sins, agitated with pas- 
sions, disquieted with fears, tortured with cares, embar- 
rassed with refinements, deluded with vanities, encom- 
passed with errors, worn out with labors, vexed with 
temptations, enervated with pleasures and tormented 
with want. Oh ! when will these various evils be no 
more ? When shall I be delivered from the slavery of 
sin ? When, Lord ! shall my thoughts and desires 
centre and be fixed on thee alone ? Oh! when will 
peace return and be established ; peace from the trou- 
bles of the world and the disorders of sinful passions — 
universal peace, incapable of interruption ; that peace 
which passeth all understanding ? When, oh most 
merciful Jesus, when shall I stand in pure abstraction 
from all inferior good, to gaze upon thee, and contem- 
plate the wonders of redeeming love ? Oh ! when shall 
I dwell with thee in thy kingdom, which thou hast pre- 
pared for thy beloved, before the foundation of the 
world ? ' 

" In the same devout spirit, with ardent breathings 
after God, did our deceased sister pass through the se- 
verity of hex last sickness. With moments of despond- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION*. 67 

ency, she yet was permitted to rejoice in days of assu- 
rance, of sweet peace and comfort in the Holy Ghost. 
Of this period of her decease, her husband writes : ' At 
one time, during her first attack, when she thought she 
could recover, with tears and groans she said, ' my Sa- 
vior hides his face from me.' Before, she had never 
spoken, but of his consoling presence. This, however, 
was also momentary. I took the Bible, and read a few 
verses from the New Testament and the 27th Psalm. 
The cloud was cleared up before the eye of faith, and her 
swelling soul rejoiced again in Christ. I knew of no 
similar doubts after this. She was particularly fond of 
the 27th Psalm, and often requested me to read it, say- 
ing : ' The Lord is, indeed, my light and my salvation.' 
She delighted also in the Gospel of St. John, particularly 
the 11th, 14th and 15th chapters. Again and again, 
did I read them to her, at her request. On one occasion, 
while reading the 11th, she stopped me at the 36th 
verse and exclaimed, ' Jesus wept ! what compas- 
sion ! what love and sympathy ! How delightful !' 

" When in severe pain, she groaned and said, ' I want 
patience ;' and when engaged in prayer, she would say, 
1 - Pray that I may have patience.' On one occasion, 
after reading in the Psalms, she said, ■ I feel that God is 
with me. he is precious. Yes : God is my strength 
and my refuge.' On another occasion, she turned to me 
and said, 'Oil have had such sweet thoughts of heaven 
this morning — all the morning.' 

" ' But a few moments before she died, I said, is your 
Saviour as precious now, dear Susan, as he has been in 
times past? -Oyes!' was her faint but distinct reply, 



68 HISTORY OF 

' He is precious ; the chiefest among ten thousand and 
altogether lovely !' She soon became speechless, and 
her eyes seemed fixed. I asked her if she knew me. 
She quietly turned her eyes upon me with an expression 
which left no doubt, and the next moment, as I sup- 
posed, expired without a groan or struggle.' 

" And does this seem to us, my friends, a mysterious 
and unscrutable disposition, and hard to be reconciled 
with the goodness and care of a gracious providence ? 
But do we not know that ' He is a God who hideth 
himself and giveth not account of any of His matters.' 

< God moves in a mysterious way, 
His wonders to perform ; 
He plants his footsteps in the sea, 
And rides upon the storm.' 

And shall we doubt and hesitate, my brethren, 
respecting the missionary work, because some fall vic- 
tims to its dangers? If those of feebler constitutions 
sink, is the work, therefore, not of God, or cannot he 
command the means by which his merciful designs, 
long since foretold, shall be accomplished in behalf of a 
perishing, heathen world ? Be it far from us to limit 
the Holy One of Israel, or, in withholding our alms 
and prayers, forbear our part in aid of the mission- 
ary enterprize, because we cannot fathom his coun- 
cils and interpret all his ways. Did the numrous 
and trying disasters which attended its early settle- 
ment, prevent God's gracious purposes in behalf of our 
own beloved country, now teeming with an abundant 
population and all the fruits of civilization and religion? 
"Why, then, should misfortunes discourage us, or bring in 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 69 

doubt the favorable scheme of Providence, touching the 
moral renovation of other benighted, pagan lands ? \Ye 
may not, on earth, expect a suspension of the established 
laws of nature, however able the Almighty is to sus- 
pend them, and may do so, whenever it shall be his 
sovereign pleasure." 

The following lines are from the gifted pen of Mrs. 
Sigoumey : 

OX THE DEATH OF MRS. SAVAGE, LATE WIFE OF THE REV. DR. SAVAGE, 
MISSIONARY AT CAPE PALMAS, AFRICA. 

" What I do, thou knoiuest not nou) — but thou shalt know hereafter.''* 

Shalt know hereafter ! — Father ! W T ilt thou wait 

In calm submission to thy Master's will ? 
Mother ! — lamenting o'er thy loved one's fate, 

Say, — canst thou rule thy spirit and be still ? 
Sisters and brothers ! — sorrowing— will ye take 
This promise to your heart, for the Redeemer's sake I 

Shalt know hereafter ! — Tender, faithful friend! 

The chosen partner of that heaven-taught breast) 
"Will this console thee, as thy footsteps tend, 

At mournful evening, to her lowly rest? 
Doth it not gird thee to thy lot of care, 
And touch with healing balm, thine agonizing prayer. 

Thou know'st not, Afric! sad of heart and blind, 
Unskilled the precious Book of God to read ; 

Thou canst not know, what moved that soul refined, 
Thy lot of wretchedness to heed, 

And from her fireside, bright with hallowed glee, 

To dare the boisterous surge and deadly clime for thee. 

As her loved home, she hailed thy sultry shore, 

Thy dark-browed children to her side she drew, 
And sacred music, as a gift, she bore 



70 HISTORY OP 

To lure them upward, where her pleasures grew, 
So sweet a song-bird, from her field of air, 
Incites her new-fledged train a bolder flight to dare. 

Oh Church of God ! who on that darkened coast, 
Dost sow thy seed in weariness and pain, 

Count not thy mission -labours light, or lost, 

Though clouds should gather, wild with wind and rain. 

On ! On ! Be firm ! Thy harvest song shall be — 

Praise to the Lord of Hosts, with whom is victory 1 



CHAPTER VII, 

Prosperity of the Miwion — Superstition of Grahwayans — Mr. Payne's rerac* 
val to Cavalla — Kroomau's letter— -Mr. Minor returns to Africa, accompanied 
by his wife and Rev. J. Smith— Religions interest in the schools — Grcbo 
hymns. 

The stroke by which Mrs. Savage was so soon removed 
from her chosen work, fell heavily upon her sorrowing 
survivors. But, upon the over-hanging cloud, the bow 
of promise shone brightly, and their hearts were cheer- 
ed by many tokens of God's blessing. The condition of 
the Mission was, upon the whole, encouraging. A se- 
cond house had been erected on Mt. Yaughan, and 
another school house for the separate accommodation of 
the female department, which was now considerably 
enlarged. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins passed safely through 
the acclimating fever, and were soon actively engaged in 
their new duties. Mr. Payne continued to superintend 
the boys' school at Mt. Vaughan, and to preach occa- 
sionally at Grahway, eight miles east of the Cape, and 
at Half Cavalla, four miles farther in the same direction. 
At both these places, schools were established under the 
superintendence of Mr. Appleby and Mr. Byron. 

The Grahway people were proverbially superstitious, 
even among their countrymen. The following incident 
will serve as an illustration. 



72 EISTOkYOF 

A house had been struck by lightning, which passed 
through the roof into the ground floor, tearing up the 
earth in its passage. The people immediately conceived 
the idea that the thunder had concealed itself, and, un- 
less removed, would cause them continual trouble by at* 
tracting other thunder. As no ordinary doctor was skil- 
ful enough to bring to light the hidden enemy, applica- 
tion was made to a distinguished member of the craft> 
residing at Grand Sesters, about one hundred miles dis*- 
tant. Not being successful in obtaining his serviced) 
they summoned another from the interior. Arrived at 
the spot, the great magician commenced his operations. 
After employing various incantations, he dug into the 
floor to the depth of several feet, when lo ! the dreaded 
thunderbolt met his gaze in the form of a small piece of 
iron ! When he touched the magic thing, to use the 
language of the natives, " he died three hours," nor was 
he able to leave the spot until forcibly removed. 

The situation of Half Cavalla offered such remarka* 
ble facilities for usefulness, that the Missionaries early 
determined to occupy it as one of their principal stations*. 
As soon, therefore, as Mr. and Mrs. Perkins were suffi* 
ciently recovered from the fever to take part in the la- 
bors of the Mission, and Dr. Savage was relieved from 
the care and anxiety consequent upon their illness, Mr. 
Payne resolved to improve this favorable opening. 

On the second of October, he accordingly removed to 
Half Cavalla, and, in about a month after, was joined by 
his wife. 

Here, within a radius of five miles from the Mission 
settlement, were twelve towns, all easily accessible, and 



I HE AFRiCAX MISSION. 73 

though not individually large, containing, collectively, a 
numerous population. This seemed also the most ad- 
vantageous point from which to gain access to the in- 
terior, being very near the Cavalla River, on the 
banks of which reside twelve distinct tribes. As the 
solitary laborer looked abroad over the fields, even 
then " white unto the harvest," most earnestly did 
he send home the call for aid. 

Alas ! how slow has the Church been to answer the 
call ! Openings have been made and lost, golden op- 
portunities 4iave been allowed to slip away, and thou- 
sands have died in their sins, to rise up in the judg- 
ment against us. 

Mr. and Mrs. Payne were kindly received by the 
people, whose frequent intercourse with foreigners had 
taught them, in some degree, to appreciate both educa- 
tion and the arts of civilized life. Their estimate of the 
Latter was proved by their petitioning Mr. Payne to pro- 
cure for them a blacksmith's bellows. Their substitute 
for this was exceedingly rude, but they manifested much 
skill in the working of iron. Mr. Payne was astonished 
to find, in a blacksmith's house, a variety of tools, and 
two gunstocks which he had made, entirely, and put 
on. Twenty-two pupils attended the day schools ; and 
fifteen adults, most of whom spoke broken English, 
came in the evening to receive instruction. We copy 
the following, as a remarkable example of improvement 
after two months and a half attendance. 

" I want to keep God's laws. My English name is 
Thomas Wilson — my Grebo name is Gnebur. I want to 
be a God-man. Then I want to try to make my coun- 
4 



74 HISTOHY OF' 

try people turn to God. But God must help me, Before 
I can make them turn to Him when I speak to them, 
Mr. Payne teaches me to read and spell and write. 
Every thing I learn, he teaches me all. I live with 
him. He does me good too. I have not time to write 
any more now. I want you to pray for me. 

Thomas Wilson." 

The Rev. Mr. Minor had sailed from Cape Palmas 
early in April. He spent some time in visiting several 
positions on the Gold Coast, and reached h#me in July 
following. His visit to the United States was in accord- 
ance with the advice of his brethren " for the restoration 
of his health, for obtaining priests' orders, and for other 
purposes connected with the interests of the Mission." 

In February, 1840, he again embarked for Africa, 
accompanied by Mrs. Minor and the Rev. Joshua Smith. 
They arrived at Cape Palmas early in April, and found 
their brethren greatly encouraged by an evident blessing 
on their labors. 

For several weeks previous, considerable seriousness 
had been observed among the scholars at Mt. Vaughan, 
and hopes were entertained that nineteen had passed 
from death unto life. They who had sown in tears 
were now reaping in joy. The prayers of those who had 
labored in faith and patience were heard, and " God 
had manifested His name" among the heathen. The 
power of Divine grace had reached the heathen captive 
even in his strong holds of superstition and sin, and now 
led him forth, exulting in the glorious liberty of the chil- 
dren of God. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 75 

One of the first to yield to this gracious influence, 
was Susan Savage, already alluded to in the first part 
of this work. She expressed her feelings in several notes 
addressed to her teachers and young companions, of 
which the following is a specimen. 

" I take this opportunity to write you a few lines to 
let you know that I think the Lord has changed my 
heart, and, I hope, yours too. When I was in my sins 
I was in such danger, and did not know it till now. If 
I had died in my sins, where should I have been ? I 
should have been in everlasting punishment. But God 
was so kind as to spare me. I ought to be thankful for 
this kindness. He sent His only son to suffer and die on 
the cross for us, that we might be saved ; and I know 
that we do not deserve it, and if He had not died for us, 
we should go to hell ; and if he had not sent Missiona- 
ries, we should never have heard about God." 

" Susan A . Savage . ' ' 
Another interesting convert was a boy from a canni- 
bal tribe, about fifty miles distant, who, several months 
before, had followed Dr. Savage home from a journey, 
and attached himself to the school. His personal appear- 
ance was unusually savage and forbidding, with which 
his temper seemed to correspond. To use the expres- 
sion of his companions, he was " bad too much ;" but 
the grace of God transformed him into a meek and 
humble follower of Christ, as remarkable for docility and 
mildness, as he had heretofore been for their opposites. 
Some, no doubt, who professed to profit by this solemn 
season, mistook the force of example for genuine religi- 
ous conviction ; but others proved their sincerity by a 



76 HISTORY OF 

consistent life, and have since died in faith, giving glory to 
Him who thus brought them out of darkness into his 
marvellous light. A few yet remain, to testify to the 
power of that still small voice which quietly, but 
effectually, broke their fatal slumber. 

The influence of this heavenly visitation was felt, in 
some measure, at Oavalla also. Two or three of the 
pupils came forward to profess their faith in Christ, and 
the claims of Christianity began to awaken more atten- 
tion and interest among the people. Some gave us their 
opinion, that this " God-palaver," was untrue and un- 
worthy of regard ; but others said, " Not so — hitherto 
we have been ignorant of this subject ; thus far it appears 
to be good ; let us try it before we reject it as good for 
nothing." The public services on the Sabbath were 
better attended, and the mirth which they had at first 
excited, gave place to a becoming seriousness. The use 
of prayers and hymns in the native language, no doubt 
contributed much to produce this result. 

The following specimens extracted from a small 
Hymn book prepared by the Rev. Mr. Wilson, and 
printed at the Missionary press of the A. B. C. F. M. 
at Cape Palmas, may be interesting to the reader. 

1. Gna woe Yisu Kraisi ye" ? 
A woda. yeu, a di bro mah, 
Ba ha gnebo biye" Kuh kwah, 
Yisi Kraisi a ne hanhka. 

2. Gna •woe Yisu Kraisi ye ? 
Kari & ni amu hanhka ; 
Ne a ma a bayitime, 
Yisu Kraisi a ne hanhka. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 77 

3. Gna woe Yisu Kraisi ye" ? 
A pro a hana koh a ta 

A pe nyina koh anm mah 
Yisu Kraisi a ne hanhka. 

4. Grid -woe Yisu Kraisi ye ? 
A kwa anm mah ti biyc, 
A ni anm ii pie ble ne, 
Yisu kraisi a ne kanhka. 



1. Who is like Jesus Christ? 

He came from Heaven to earth, 
To take all people away from devil, 
Jesus Christ is good. 

2. Who is like Jesus Christ? 

Because he does us good ; 
And he is our friend, 
Jesus Christ is good. 

3. Who is like Jesus Christ ? 

He sold his life for us ; 
He paid his blood for us, 
Jesus Christ is good. 

4. Who is like Jesus Christ!; 

He follows us every day ; 
He makes our hearts glad. 
Jesus Christ is good. 



HEAVEN. 

HSveneh eh ma Gnisuah tedGh ; 
Hanh Enje peplandi nede ; 
Hauh gnobo nede teh nenu ; 
Gnebo kuhkwih oh n&h mude. 



78 HISTORY OF 

2. Kbiine kuhkwih eh yede ne; 
Blidi yidi, kekra yidi, 
Sweh yidi kedida yidi, 

Eh nah dide tedeh nenu. 

3. Gnono nede Gnisuah mah 
Oh nah yi blidi di nema 
Oh pie mi blenu ti biye, 
Kari oh till Gnisuah mah. 

4. Ba nu Gnisuah winh tetinu, 
Ba ko ne, a. mi na yinim; 
K"e a miwa na mah nemu, 
Ne a pie mi blemu baka. 



1. Heaven is God's place, 
Many good angels there, 
Good people are there, 
Bad people cannot go there. 

2. "Wickedness is not there, 

No palaver, no sickness there, 

No poor, no trouble there, 

And all these things cannot go there. 

3. Those that live to God 
See no palaver, but 

Their hearts will be glad always, 
Because they live to God. 

4. We must keep God's words now; 
If we die we shall see Him ; 
And we shall live to Him; 

And our hearts shall be glad much. 

It may be here remarked, that the convert from hea- 
thenism should never be judged by the same exalted and 



THE AFRICAN MISSION, 79 

rigid standard which we apply to the professoT of reli- 
gion in a Christian country. We must contemplate the 
one, at the period of his spiritual regeneration, as just 
emerging from the lowest depths of ignorance and super- 
stition ; while the other, at the same period, is standing 
upon the high ground of intellectual and moral advance- 
ment. In one, the habitual contact with vice, in its 
most debasing forms, has blunted, and nearly obliterated, 
the moral perception ; while in the other, the opposite 
influences have imparted to it the highest degree of 
acuteness. 

"VYe do not marvel then, that the one should regard, 
as a small and venial fault, that which the more enlight- 
ened conscience would condemn as a flagrant sin. The 
first disciples of Christianity were converted Pagans, and 
the tone of warning and rebuke in which they are so 
often addressed by St, Paul, is a.s applicable now as it 
was then. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Review of the year 1840 — Dr. Savage's visit to the Leeward Coast — Mr. a>n«l 
Mrs. Payne return to the U. S, — Opening of Stations at Rockbookah and 
Taboo — Illustration of heathen superstition — Mr. and Mrs. Payne again 
embark for Africa with other missionaries — Death of Miss Coggleshall, 
—Biographical notice — Difficulties with natives. 

The review of this year (1840) shows ic to have been 
one of great prosperity. The number of pupils at the 
different stations now exceeded one hundred, all of whom, 
with few exceptions, had learned to read. Some of the 
more advanced had commenced the study of grammar, 
geography, and arithmetic, and four were employed as 
teachers and interpreters. But it was in the spiritual 
condition of the Schools, to which reference has been al- 
ready made, that the most animating encouragement 
was found. 

It was great cause of thankfulness also, that none of 
the missionaries had been removed by death. Mrs. Mi- 
nor, though at one time so ill that her life was despaired 
of, had been mercifully restored. When her attendant 
physician had abandoned all hope of her recovery, and 
her sorrowing friends were gathered around her bed to 
witness her death, an unexpected change took place in 
her disease, and she was again permitted to resume her 
labors 

4* 



THE AFRICAN MISSION*. QJ 

Dr. Savage had been induced, by the partial failure 
of his health, to try the effects of the sea air in a 
voyage to the Leeward Coast, in which direction it was 
deemed advisable to prosecute inquiries in reference to 
future stations ; but had returned in a few months, 
quite restored. He had been unexpectedly detained on 
the Gold Coast, no vessel touching there, bound to Cape 
Palmas, until January, 1841. Much valuable informa- 
tion had, however, been acquired, and at Dix Cove, he 
had embraced an opportunity of performing missionary 
duty, by instructing a number of young men, and hold- 
ing religious services. 

In April, 1841, the health of Mrs. Payne became 
so seriously impaired by her unremitted labors, that a 
sea voyage was deemed absolutely necessary for its res- 
toration. Her husband, therefore, embarked with her 
for the United States, where, after four years absence, 
they arrived safely in July following. This year proved 
unusually unhealthy, and before its close, Mr. and Mrs. 
Perkins were also compelled to seek renewed strength in 
their native land, having previously tried an excursion to 
Sierra Leone, without effect. 

We have already referred to the causes which ren- 
dered it desirable to open a station without the bounda- 
ries of the colony, and to Mr. Minor's visit to Garraway, 
with a view to this object. The attempt having failed 
in that quarter, it was subsequently renewed in an op- 
posite direction, and, in the autumn of 1841, Mr. Minor 
removed to Taboo, a point on the Leeward Coast about 
forty miles east of Cape Palmas. About the same time, 
the school for the children of the colonists was abandoned ; 



82 HISTORY OP 

and Mr. Appleby was removed from Grahway to Rock- 
bookah, the capital of the Baboes, a tribe also beyond 
the limits of the colony, These people occupied the ter- 
ritory lying next west of the Plaboes, among whom Mr. 
Minor had established himself, thus forming a connecting 
link between Cavalla and Taboo. 

The Rev. Mr. Smith, who superintended Mr. Payne's 
station during his absence, after speaking of the general 
prevalence of disease (dysentery) during this year, re- 
marks, that it had elicited new proofs of the supersti- 
tion of the natives. He says : ' ; During the sickness 
mentioned, I was roused, one morning, early, by a 
noise, the cause of which I could not comprehend. 
Looking out, I saw men, women, and children, running 
towards the woods, shouting and making various noises, and 
when they seemed to have reached the end of their race, 
the report of two guns was heard. On inquiring into 
the matter, I was informed that the doctors had directed 
the people to beat their houses with sticks, and chase 
the sickness away to the bush." 

Having spent six months in making known at home 
the wants and success of their mission, Mr. and Mrs. 
Payne again embarked for Africa, accompanied by Miss 
M. V. Chapin, and Miss Martha D. Coggleshall. 

The latter, like Mrs. Savage, was summoned from 
her work, almost before it was begun. She had proved 
her entire devotion to her Master's service, and he called 
her to enter upon her reward. On the 23rd of April 
she was seized with the acclimating fever, and died on 
the 3rd of May. 

Miss Coggleshall was the only daughter of Josiah 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. Q3 

Coggleshall, of Bristol, It. I. In the spring of 1830, 
she went to reside with her grandmother, in Warren, 
about a mile from the Episcopal Church, then recently 
established under the pastoral care of the Rev. George 
W. Hathaway. Although quite a child, she was much 
interested both in the Church and Sunday School. Of 
the latter, she immediately became a member, and was 
remarkable for her regular attendance ; the weather, or 
walking seldom causing her to be absent from its valued 
privileges, notwithstanding the distance at which she 
lived. She gave early evidences of piety, which grew 
and strengthened with her age. She was baptized on 
the 29th of April, 1835, and confirmed on the 1st of 
April following ; and the solemn vows thus publicly 
made, were most faithfully observed. " Her piety," 
says her pastor, " was characterized by great meekness 
and simplicity, though deep and fervent, and her desires 
to do good were most self-sacrificing and untiring. 
Though young in years, so mature was her piety, that 
she was requested to become a teacher in the Sunday 
School ; but she meekly declined, preferring to continue 
a learner." 

Miss Coggleshall possessed no brilliant talents, and 
as her residence in early life had been remote from any 
school, she had had few facilities for mental improve- 
ment ; but she had endeavored, as far as possible, to 
make up the deficiences of her education, by diligent 
improvement of the limited opportunities which she af- 
terwards enjoyed. It was, however, in the qualities of 
the heart, that she chiefly excelled. She had drank 
deeply at the fountain of Divine Wisdom : her thoughts 



34 HISTORY OF 

had been elevated, and her affections purified, by inti- 
mate communion with the Father of Spirits, and all her 
conversation bore evidence to her high attainments in the 
spiritual life. She knew that Christ had given to the 
members of his Church " gifts, differing one from ano- 
ther," and, with a rare humility and judgment, she 
chose the sphere of duty for which nature and education 
had fitted her. Had she lived, her time would have 
been mainly devoted to the sewing department. The 
following extract from the Spirit of Missions, for Sept., 
1842, express the deep sorrow occasioned by her loss. 

"Rev. Mr. Payne, speaking of Miss Coggleshall, 
says : " she died, as she had lived, during our short ac- 
quaintance with her, a calm, devoted Christian. Had 
she lived, she would, no doubt, have been eminently 
useful in a department of the mission for which she was 
eminently fitted. But ' God seeth not as man seeth, 
and should we, can we, murmur at His dispensations/ 
who so surely loves His own cause, and makes ' all things 
work together for good to them that love Him ?" r 

The Rev. Dr. Savage remarks: " The Mission feels 
deeply the loss of Miss Coggleshall. She filled an im- 
portant place in the female department, and that with 
much promise. Her desires to do good were so simple, 
and her views of the way and manner, in such Chris- 
tian subjection to the experience of others, that we could 
but anticipate much good to the Mission from her labors. 
She has left upon the minds of all, a conviction that 
she was a woman of no ordinary attainments in divine 
life. The influence of her piety was felt and acknow- 
ledged in her short intercourse with the children and 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 85 

others. It was apparent to all that she daily walked 
with God, and had her conversation in heaven. We 
view, in her death, a free-icill offering of herself to 
God ; and who shall say that it is not ' well-pleasing; 
in his sight?' She has gone, and we doubt not, to a 
higher and a nobler sphere of action. May this dispen- 
sation be sanctified to us all.' 

But sickness and death are not the only, nor, indeed, 
the greatest trials, which must be encountered by the 
faithful ministers of the Cross in a heathen land. The 
indifference and ingratitude of those for whose good he la- 
bors, are often sources of far keener suffering, and must, 
indeed, entirely dishearten him, if he cannot adopt the 
sentiment of the Apostle, "I will willingly spend and be 
spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, 
the less I be loved." As an illustration of this kind of 
trial, we give the following extract from Mr. Payne's 
journal. 

"Monday, July 25th. This morning, early, I was 
waited upon by a large deputation of the Cavalla people, 
including all the head men, who brought me a bullock 
as a ' dash.' The occasion of this, was as follows : 
On Thursday morning last, on going out of my room in 
the morning, I found a deputation of three men, from 
the ' sedibo,' or soldiers, in waiting for me. i he se- 
dibo include all the young and middle aged men who 
have houses. They make laws and palavers, on ac- 
count of real or pretended offences, and are, in fact, the 
government of the country, having the power to act as 
they wish. The three men, above-named, told their 
errand, rather abruptly, by saying, that 'since I had 



86 HISTORY OF 

been at Cavalla, notwithstanding the soldiers protected 
my property, I had never given anything to them. 
They had now come, in the name of the soldiers, to ask 
for three pieces of cloth. They were going on to enume- 
rate many other things, when I interrupted them by 
saying, ' if the soldiers were determined to fine or rob 
me without any cause, that they must take, not only 
what they asked, but all that I had, having the same 
right to the whole, as to a part.' Soon after these men 
had gone, another deputation came, more pleasant in 
their manner than the former, but making the same 
demand. To them, I gave, in substance, the same an- 
swer, only adding, that I must take this matter to the 
head men, to know if I was to be thus subjected to law- 
less soldiery, or if there was any government in the coun- 
try. Accordingly, in the afternoon, I convened the old 
men in the king's house, and asked them who governed 
the country, they, or the soldiers ? They replied, with 
great promptness, 'we do,' and repelled, indignantly, 
any other idea. I then told them of the conduct of the 
soldiers. They immediately sent men to inquire of the 
soldiers, who were assembled in their house, what they 
meant by doing such a thing without consulting them. 
Their messenger, however, could get no satisfactory an- 
swer, and was treated with much disrespect. After 
some consultation amongst the old men, they requested me 
to return home, saying, that the matter should be set- 
tled in a satisfactory manner. 

" Soon after, the king followed me home, and told me 
that the soldiers had been induced to ' take their mouths 
from the white man.' Still, it was evident from his 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. g? 

manner, and various intimations received from several 
sources, that the matter had not been fully settled. I 
heard nothing more of it, however, until the next day. 
I was then informed that the prime mover of the ' pal- 
aver' had actually assembled a number of men, the 
previous night, on the beach with cutlasses, in order to 
come and take what they wanted from my house. Provi- 
dentially, the matter was discovered by the head of the 
soldiers, who immediately called all together in the 
' palaver- house,' where the whole matter was fully 
discussed. From the report made to me of the proceed- 
ings of this meeting, it appears that the great mass of 
the people were opposed to such proceedings, and the 
council ended in deciding that the individual who sug- 
gested this outrage, should be held responsible for every 
cent lost on my premises. 

" On hearing of this meditated robbery, I expressed, 
everywhere, my astonishment and indignation, declaring 
that if I were a ' trade-man/ I should consider it unsafe 
to remain ; but as I was a ' God-man,' I would not 
leave, until sent away by the people, or convinced by 
their conduct, that they were not worthy of having the 
Gospel preached to them. A re-action now commenced. 
The matter began to be spoken of as shameful — disgrace- 
ful — worthy of punishment ; and soon after, the two 
ringleaders were fined a cow, bullock, goat, &c, for their 
crime. The people, on all occasions, expressed shame, 
and a disposition to repair the injury which had been 
done me, and the matter terminated in their bringing 
the bullock this morning, as they expressed it, ' to take 
away their shame.' " 



CHAPTER IX. 

Encouraging circumatances at Cavalla — Death of native convert — Mr. Payne 
visits the family. 

Although the Missionaries were thus reminded that 
the work upon which they had entered must be prose- 
cuted amid many discouragements and trials, they were 
still favored with many tokens of their Father's mercy 
and love. One of Mr. Payne's earliest communications 
after the events which we have just recorded, mentions 
the success which attended his labors, both in his school 
and among the people generally. In the former, a spirit 
of deep religious interest was evidently aroused, and 
among the adult natives, many were becoming dissatis- 
fied with the superstitions to which they had, hitherto, 
so tenaciously adhered. Some even went so far as to 
renounce their greegrees and deliver them into his hands, 
to be committed to the flames ; and a decided improve- 
ment was manifest in the more general observance of the 
Sabbath. Mr. Payne writes: "I have never before 
felt so much encouraged to go forward in the work of the 
blessed Saviour, as at the present moment. With six 
communicants, over whom God hath given me the over- 
sight, an overflowing congregation in one of the busiest 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 89 

seasons of the year, and ten candidates for baptism, I 
feel that I have abundant cause for gratitude and en- 
couragement." 

It may not be uninteresting to present some more 
particular account of the encouraging circumstances re- 
ferred to above, as contained in Mr.' Payne's journal at 
the time. 

" Sunday, Sept. 26. — I preached to the largest con- 
gregation at Grahway, I have ever met there. This 
morning, I admitted to the Church by baptism, eight of 
the dear children for whom I have been laboring and 
praying for some years. Most of these children had 
been on probation for some months, and all of them, 
long enough to give good evidence of having been ' born 
again.' " " Saturday, Sept. 31st : Made my usual visit 
to the three River Cavalla towns, to-day. At Kablah, 
had a very interesting discussion in reference to the 
' G-reegree' system. Most of those present, seemed to 
be convinced of their vanity, though they were not quite 
prepared to throw them away at once. I was never 
before permitted to engage in a discussion in which 
there was manifested so sincere a disposition on the part 
of the natives to arrive at the truth. One grave old 
man, after remarking that he had no greegrees, said that 
he was in the habit of cooking rice for the devil, and 
putting it before his door. He enquired of Gnebur if 
this was right. G. answered with great earnestness, 
'• You say you have no greegrees. Well ! but leave off 
also to throw away your rice. If you have children, 
feed them. Do not give your food to what does not ex- 
ist. Your departed friends, if it be they you feed, can- 



90 HISTORY OF 

not come back. In. case they are with Grod, they do 
not wish to come. If in hell, they cannot come. Upon 
this subject, the doctors teach only lies. We give our 
money to them for nothing.' ' You have well said, we 
give our money to them for nothing,' rejoined the old 
man. ' This year, when I left my home to cut a rice 
farm, at the instance of a doctor, I killed a fowl to the 
devil, to induce him to mind my family during my ab- 
sence. I had not been gone two days, before my child 
died. Soon after, I was taken ill. I had then a chest 
nearly full of plates, of which I gave nearly all to the 
doctors to cure me, but received no benefit from them. 
To the last one who offered his services ; I replied, that 
I would give nothing more for this object. I am now 
well.' " 

Under the date of Oct. 21st, 1842, we find the fol- 
lowing interesting account of the death of one of the 
converts. " It was with feelings difficult to be described, 
that, early on Wednesday morning, I received informa- 
tion from one of our scholars, that Budah, or Peter Van 
Pelt, was dead. He had left us ten days before, com- 
plaining of a sore throat, and swelling in his limbs, from 
the latter of which, however, he appeared to be recover- 
ing. He had been absent somewhat longer than he had 
anticipated ; and, although his former punctuality made 
us somewhat uneasy, on this account, we hoped that all 
was well. In this, however, the information now re- 
ceived, showed we were to be disappointed. He was 
taken ill on Saturday, and on Tuesday was a corpse ! 

" The messenger who brought these melancholy ti- 
dings, said that he had died at Grand Taboo, some thirty- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. Qj 

five miles from here, but was to be buried at his father's 
place, half that distance. Hoping to be able to reach 
this latter place by the time the corpse should arrive, I 
took a canoe, and, in three hours, was at the town of 
Nimbleh, the father of Budah. On landing, however, I 
was informed that B. had been buried at Grand Taboo, 
the previous day. I therefore went on to Mr. Minor's, 
at the River Taboo, not designing to proceed farther. 
On arriving there, however, I received three messages 
from King George, of Grand Taboo, urging me to visit 
his town. Having concluded to do so, I left Mr. Minor's, 
after early breakfast, and after passing four other small 
towns, in two hours reached Grand Taboo. As we were 
entering the town gate, my guide directed my attention 
to a grave on the left, which, he said, was Budah's. 
It was made in civilized style, stood entirely alone, 
and was surrounded by a fence of sticks about six feet 
long, and meeting at the top, forming a sort of arch over 
the grave. 

" On entering the town, I was met by King Idebabo, 
alias George, who has visited England and Sierra Leone, 
and speaks very good English. He saluted me as his 
' very dear friend,' and conducted me into a yard en- 
closing a number of his houses. Budah's mother is a 
sister of the king, and in this yard Budah died. A scene 
now followed, which baffles description. Seated around, 
in the enclosure, were the bereaved parents of the de- 
ceased, with a number of his relatives. Whether in 
consequence of my approach or not, I do not know, but 
as I drew near, there was a burst of such ivailing as 
could only proceed from those upon whom beams not 



92 HISTORY OF 

one ray of hope beyond the grave. Harrowing, however, 
as this was to the feelings, an object was soon presented, 
which, for a moment, caused me to forget all else. 
Seated on the ground before me, almost naked, was a 
gray headed, agonized woman. It was Budah's mother. 

"As I took my seat, she poured forth afresh the bit- 
terness of her sou^l, and throwing her eyes and hands 
wildly around her, gave vent to her feelings in words 
like these : ' Oh, my son ! my son ! Where are you ? 
Your father has come now. Don't you see him ? I 
know you do. You are glad now ; you are satisfied ; I 
know you are, my son.' While repeating these words, 
she dragged herself along on the ground, until she got 
quite up to me. And, oh ! as she stared at me, wildly 
and hopelessly, how I wished that she had that conso- 
lation in her son's death, which his life authorized her 
to feel. 

" Well aware of the suspicious character of the na- 
tives, relative to all deaths which occur, I was not with- 
out some anxiety as to my reception by the afflicted 
relatives of the deceased. I was not long, however, in 
suspense. The father, seating himself by my side, after 
assuring me how well he knew my kindness and attach- 
ment to his son, added, ' eh ye nah te — Guisnah ah te 
nae,' (it — B.'s death — is not your affair, but God's.) He 
soon afterwards told me that he would put another of 
his sons in Budah's place, as he has done. King George's 
son, who had been with me, I was assured, too, should 
return. Having returned me thanks in a formal and 
particular manner for all my kindness to Budah, and 
dashed me a goat and fowl, they added, there was one 



i ii E a r n i c a N m i p s I n N . pg 

request which they must make, namely : that as B. had 
died there, I would endeavor to procure for them a 
teacher. The king now requested me to write some- 
tin Dg on a board, descriptive of the character of the de- 
ceased, to be placed over his grave-. I told him that a 
board would rot. so soon, as to render it useless to put one 
there, and that a piece of stone would be much better — 
little expecting to get a suitable one. Yery soon, how- 
ever, he brought me a tablet of soft stone, about eighteen 
inches in diameter, upon which I wrote with my pen- 
knife as follows : 

1 Peter, Van Pelt, 
' The son of Sebueh Nimbleh and Badeh, of the Babo 
tribe. Born 1822. Entered the P. E. Mission School, 
Cape Palmas, 1837 ; was baptized 1841 ; taught in the 
Mission School at Cavalla, where he led a godly life, 
until October 18th, 1842, when, on a visit to this place,, 
he died.' 

" Having finished this, Nimbleh, the king of a neigh- 
boring town, who had also visited England, asked if I 
would not read the Burial Service. Ashamed, that the 
hurry in which I left Mr. Minor's, should have caused 
me to lose sight of a duty of which I was now reminded 
by a heathen king, I sent back in haste for a Prayer 
Book, that I might comply with the request. Soon after 
dinner, I called the people together, and preached to 
them c Jesus and the resurrection. ' Before preaching, I 
sung, as usual, a hymn in Grebo, in which the king and 
many present, joined at the top of their voices ; and after 
we had done, the king added, ' thank the Lord.' He 
expressed his assent, also, to what was said, and only 



94 HISTORY OP 

regretted that, having no teacher, they were liable to 
forget what they now heard. Now, although it was 
evident to one acquainted with the deceitfulness of the 
African character, that much of this was said for effect, 
yet it was interesting to hear such sentiments expressed, 
where the Gospel was now preached for the first time, 
and by a people whose character is regarded as pecu- 
liarly bad. At 3 o'clock P. M. I read the Burial Ser- 
vice over our dear departed pupil and brother in Christ, 
and returned to Mr. Minor's. In the Christian character 
of the youth of whom we have been so unexpectedly de- 
prived, the greatest confidence was reposed by all who 
knew him. Having been in the Mission from its origin, 
his mild and amiable deportment had secured for him 
the favor of all his teachers, before he made a public 
profession of faith. This was much increased by his 
godly walk after his admission to the Church." 



CHAPTER X. 

Ideas of the people respecting a future state — Funeral ceremonies — Sassa 
Wood — Superstitions of the Grahwayans — Singular custom — Arrival of 
Rev. Samuel Hazlehum — Mr. Payne's labors. 

IIe who has always associated with death the glorious 
hope of life and immortality brought to life in the 
gospel, can form little idea of the hopelessness and gloom 
in. which the grave is shrouded to the heathen mind. 
The belief in a future existence is, indeed, prevalent 
among the natives of West Africa, but of the nature of 
that existence, they seem to have no definite conception. 
When questioned as to the destiny of the soul after death, 
some reply, that it has gone to " Gnisuah," or God ; 
others, that it has departed to " Kuhblih," or the spirit's 
land, from whence they expect it to return again, at some 
indefinite period, in the body of a new born infant. 
Yet, while assigning to the disembodied soul a residence 
in some far off and shadowy realm, beyond the grave, or 
giving to their children the names of deceased relatives, 
whose spirits they suppose to have thus reappeared on 
earth, they have many rites and ceremonies which 
would seem to recognize their presence in the place of 
burial, or, as still separate spiritual existences, attending 
them in their daily haunts of life. The grave yard is 
never entered without dread and trembling, and on 



95 history or 

great occasions, when the dead are invoked as witnesses 
of some public deed, the speaker turns his face towards 
the resting place of the sleeping dust, as he calls upon 
the spirit to listen and observe. 

The dead are supposed to exert great influences 
either for good or evil, upon surviving friends or enemies, 
and hence, are frequently addressed in the most solemn 
denials of all past ill will, and the warmest assurances 
of affection and esteem. 

The desire to propitiate their good will is evinced in 
numberless superstitious observances, such as offering to 
them a portion of the daily meal, carrying food or fire to 
the grave, &c> 

At the time of burial, the corpse is laid out in the 
state suited to his wealth and rank. If a person of con- 
sequence, he will probably be stretched upon a rude 
bier, covered with cloths of various kinds and colors, and. 
overhung with a canopy of the same materials. The 
body is painted in every fantastic variety of figure and 
hue, and adorned with all the scraps of finery which 
can be collected for the occasion. Rings and beads are 
strung upon the neck, arms, and limbs, and sometimes, 
a number of looking glasses are laid about the body, as 
if to gratify him with the view of the display. The 
chests containing his various possessions in cloth, tobacco, 
crockery, cooking utensils, &c, are brought out, to im- 
press the beholder with a due sense of his wealth and 
importance, and some of all these articles are deposited 
with him at the grave, for his use in another world. A 
bullock is killed in sacrifice to the devil, and the corpse, 
with the cloth, &c, sprinkled with the blood. The body 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 97 

fe either buried beneath the ground, or laid upon the 
surface, with a canoe turned over it. 

The African frequently expresses his feelings at the 
death of a relative in the significant phrase, "my heart 
burns," and, no doubt, resentment is often the predom- 
inant emotion. Except in the case of infancy or ex- 
treme old age, he recognizes no other cause of death than 
witchcraft, and believing himself robbed of his friend 
through the malign influence of some enemy, it is not 
stra n ge that he is angry, as well as grieved. Of course 
his first wish is revenge. How is the guilty one to be 
discovered ? Perhaps some individual is known to have 
borne ill will to the deceased, or the " doctor" has pri- 
vately designated the murderer. Sometimes, as the 
canoe containing the body is carried along in the funeral 
procession, the bearers come to a full stalid, or turn 
backwards, declaring that the deceased refuses to be 
carried to his grave. Winding about in a devious and 
zigzag track, they again resume their passage to the 
place of burial, but presently, the corpse impels them 
against a house, which is immediately marked as the 
dwelling of the murderer ! The doomed resident knows 
well what now awaits him. The poisonous Sassa Wood 
must prove his innocence, or lay him low in death. If 
it prove fatal, his death is hailed as the deserved pun- 
ishment of his crime ; a hole is scooped in the sand, and 
the body hastily interred, denied a place in the burying 
ground of his people. 

The administration of the Sassa Wood is, no doubt, 
often to be regarded in the same light as the public ex- 
ecution of a criminal ; but there can be no question that 
5 



98 HISTORY OF 

it is frequently made the means of gratifying a private 
revenge. The accusation of witchcraft is the most cer- 
tain means of removing an individual whose wealth has 
excited the jealousy of his neighbors, or who has other- 
wise become obnoxious to public or private resentment. 

Hundreds are annually sacrificed to this dreadful cus- 
tom, and there is reason to believe, from the powerful 
narcotic influence of the drug, that many are interred, 
whose life is not extinct. The Missionary may some- 
times succeed in rescuing the victim from the rage of 
popular violence, but he does not, therefore, necessarily 
secure his safety. Unwilling to live under the odium of 
a suspected wizard, he will voluntarily subject himself 
to the ordeal ; but he gains an important advantage if 
some more deadly ingredient is not mingled in the 
draught by his infuriated enemies. 

In Mr. Payne's journal, a few weeks later, we find a 
singular illustration of the puerile and debasing super- 
stitions of the Grrahwayans. He had gone on the Sab- 
bath, to one of their towns to preach, as usual ; but on 
his arrival, he received a message from the head men, 
requesting that the service might be omitted, as the 
people were all engaged in making an offering to the 
devil. The occasion was as follows : 

Several months before, a very successful fisherman 
had killed a large fish at sea, which the doctors said 
was the Devil's child, and, of course, had greatly excited 
the wrath of the Evil Spirit. In order to appease this 
dreaded being, the unfortunate man was ordered to 
leave the town for a specified time, but venturing to 
to return before the allotted period, he was overtaken 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 99 

by the devil's vengeance and drowned. But still, the 
ofience was not sufficiently punished. The devil was.an- 
gry with all the people of the town, and would not suffer 
them to catch any fish ; and being told that a bullock 
would appease him, they were now offering the required 
sacrifice. 

On another occasion, Mr. Payne mentions his having 
found the same people in a state of great excitement 
on account of the death of a child, from an accidental 
blow from the cutlass of his step-father. He writes : 
"No accident seems, in such cases, to be recognized by 
this people. The man who has the misfortune to kill 
another in this manner, is obliged to flee from his coun- 
try immediately; never to reside in it again ; the popular 
belief being, that in case he should, it would never cease 
raining. The author of the accident above, fled as soon 
as it was done ; and when I arrived, not a vestige of his 
house remained. It had been pulled down instantly, 
thrown into the sea, and its very foundation so entirely 
removed, as scarcely to leave a trace of its ever having 
supported a house. The enraged populace had already 
killed three bullocks belonging to the family of the un- 
fortunate man, and were, at the moment of my reach- 
ing the place, quarrelling about others. 

" There is a singular circumstance connected with 
the burial of persons killed in this manner. They are 
not placed in, or on the ground, as in other cases ; but, 
after being bandaged up in a part of a canoe, they are 
taken to a particular tree, against which they are placed 
in a standing position. They are surrounded, however, 
by pieces of timber, to protect them from leopards or 



100 HISTORY OF 

other beasts of prey. The reason, of this singular cus- 
tom, I have not ascertained." 

On the eleventh of February, 1843, the Mission re- 
ceived an accession in the arrival of the Rev. Samuel Ha- 
zelhurst of Philadelphia, who was located at Mt. Vaughan. 
The Rev. Mr. Smith had resumed the care of the station 
at the river Cavalla, and the Rev. Mr. Minor was success- 
fully prosecuting his labors at Taboo. At the termina- 
tion of the first year after his return from America, Mr. 
Payne was able to present the following gratifying report 
of his labors, a sufficient proof that the white man may 
accomplish much, even in that debilitating and sickly 
land. 

"Sunday, April 2d, 1843. 

" It is one year, to-day, since I re-entered upon the 
duties of this station, after returning from America. 
During this time, I have preached here every Sunday 
morning except one, when I preached the annual sermon 
before the Mission at Mt. Yaughan. Besides preaching 
on Sunday, and giving daily religious instruction to the 
boarding scholars connected with the station, I have 
also preached, in most instances nine, on an average 
six times during the week, in the villages around Cavalla, 
making a total of three hundred and twelve discourses 
during the year, besides translating two hours in the 
morning, and attending to the multifarious duties con- 
nected with the charge of a large family. I have not 
been prevented, in one instance, that I can recall, from 
discharging my duties, by indisposition." 

Mr. Payne had made it a permanent object to reduce 
and acquire the Grebo tongue, and had so far succeeded 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. jQl 

as to be able to assist in translating the Gospel of St. 
Mark, before his visit to America. After his return, he 
devoted his attention principally to the Prayer Book, 
and, at the period of which we are now writing, had 
translated the Morning and Evening Service, Occasional 
Prayers. Selections of Psalms, and the Psalter, to the for- 
tieth Psalm. A part of the Morning Service, with the 
Commandments, was read every Sabbath in public, be- 
sides other suitable prayers and hymns. 



CHAPTER XL 

Death of Mrs. Maria V. Savage— Parentage, birth, and early life — Determi- 
nation to offer her services for Africa— Letter to the Rev. Dr. Vaughan — 
Farewell letter to her friends — Voyage and arrival in Africa. 

Our next record must repeat the story of sickness and 
bereavement. Miss Maria V. Chapin had passed through 
the acclimating fever with little suffering, and had en- 
tered upon the labors of missionary life with the high- 
est promise of extensive usefulness. On the 2d of June, 
1842, she was united in marriage with the Rev. Dr 
Savage, and continued to discharge her important duties 
with great zeal and ability, until she was seized with 
her last illness. She died at Mt. Vaughan, December 
23d, 1843, aged twenty-three years. 

Miss Chapin was the daughter of Mr. Consider 
Chapin, and was born in Derby, "Vermont. When 
about sixteen years old, she entered the Female Aca- 
demy at Burlington, where she was first impressed with 
the claims of Divine truth, and devoted herself to the 
service of her Redeemer. She was subsequently em- 
ployed for two years in the vicinity of Topsham, in her 
native state ; but believing that a warmer climate 
would be more favorable to her health, she determined 
to seek a situation as governess in one of the southern 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 1Q3 

states. With this design, she wished to add to her o1h«i 
qualifications a knowledge of music ; and being unwilling 
that her father should incur the expense of her iustr ?• 
tion, she entered one of the mills at Lowell, a,n.' with 
the profits of her industry, engaged a teacher, and de 
voted her leisure time to the acquisition o<' this accom- 
plishment. But God had another piace for htr. " A 
man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lor-; directeth 
his steps." In the autumn of 1841, she a+tjnde'J an 
evening lecture, in which the llev. Mr. Payne gave an 
account of his labors in Africa, and presented a « : nri'g 
appeal in behalf of the dying heathen of that benighted 
continent. Her sympathies were strongly enlisted, and 
the inquiry immediately presented itself, "why should 
not I give myself to this work." Seriously and prayer- 
fully she pondered the question of duty, and after con- 
sulting her pastor, determined to offer her services to 
the Foreign Committee. The following communication 
to the E.ev. Dr. Vaughan, then secretary of that body, 
will show with what feelings she looked forward to the 
work. 

" The question of my personally engaging in a Mis- 
sion to the Heathen, has long been before my mind, and 
received, as it claimed, my most serious and prayerful 
consideration. This great work is now brought nearer 
to my mind than I could ever before regard it, and I trust 
it does not appear the less desirable. I have considered 
the subject in every light, so far as I am able from the 
information I have respecting it, and I can never take 
up the question again, to find reasons for going. My 
mind is now settled as to the duty, should no unforeseen 



104 HISTORY OP 

providence prevent, of leaving home and country for a 
heathen land. A long adieu to my kindred and friends 
will rend the heart ; I feel already that it will ; but at 
the same time, the prospect of doing good to some poor 
heathen soul will fill it with joy, and the hope of ad- 
vancing, in ever so small a degree, the cause of my Re- 
deemer, will be a constant feast to the soul. The silent 
tear of parental affection and solicitude would indeed 
overpower me, had I not confidence that He who thus 
afflicts, will support, my beloved parents. Neither, in 
the present case, can I think it proper to follow, alto- 
gether, the opinion of friends. With the smiles of my 
heavenly Father, I must be happy, though friends for- 
sake me. I feel an inexpressible pleasure in commending 
them to God, assured that they will be enabled to give 
up their child without regret, in the hope that she will 
do good to perishing souls. And I have, also, that bless- 
ed hope, that, should we never again meet in this world, 
we shall be a happy family circle at the right hand of 
God. Still, I feel my own insufficiency to decide a 
question of such importance as that of leaving all that 
the heart holds most dear on earth, to encounter the 
toils and hardships of a missionary life. Indeed, I 
would not decide for myself. I trust solely to Him 
who has promised grace and strength. Though, at 
times, great weakness has constrained me to shrink 
at the prospect before me, I have been consoled and 
supported in the assurance that God will perfect 
strength in my weakness. I feel a desire to act in 
accordance with the will of God ; to do nothing 
which would be displeasing in His sight. I think I am 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. ]Q5 

willing to be, and to do, anything for the sake of the 
glory of God ; and if I can only be sure that I am wholly 
under the guidance of His spirit, I shall be fully satis- 
fied. It is difficult, I know, to analyze one's feelings, 
and ascertain the real character of the motives by which 
we are actuated ; I feel my liability to be deceived, and 
my need of Divine assistance. The only question which 
concerns me, is, are my motives pure and holy? Never 
would I bear the missionary standard, without having in 
my heart the missionary spirit. I have calmly and de- 
liberately weighed the subject, and feel, that no attrac- 
tion from its novelty, no impulse from its moral dignity, 
can bear up, and carry forward any one, amidst the 
long continued labors of almost uniform sameness which 
you represented to me ; nothing but a thorough convic- 
tion of being in the path of duty, nothing but the ap- 
proving smile of heaven, can keep one from despondency, 
from sinking into hopeless inactivity ; but I have calmly 
and deliberately weighed the subject, and feel a willing- 
ness to give up comforts, and submit to privations, to 
forsake ease and endure toil, to assemble no more • with 
the great congregation,' but seek the Lord in the wilder- 
ness, or in the desert — in short, to make every sacrifice 
of personal ease and gratification, for the one great ob- 
ject of making known a crucified Saviour to those who 
are perishing in ignorance and sin. Indeed, what sacri- 
fice can be too great, if what is done for Him who 
bought us with his own blood can be called a sacrifice, 
for those to make, who have themselves experienced the 
efficacy of a Saviour's blood ? I have reflected, that 
should I go out, cheered by the smiles of friends, and en- 
5* 



106 HISTORY OF 

couraged by the approbation of the churches, yet soon, 
amidst a people of strange speech, I shall see these smiles 
only in remembranee, and hear the voice of encourage- 
ment only in dying whispers across the ocean. Yet, 
when I have considered the command of Christ, ' Go 
ye and teach all nations,' — and when, in pouring out my 
soul on this subject to the Father of light, I have 
realized more of that sweet ' peace which passeth all 
understanding ;' objections have all dwindled to a point ; 
I have been enabled, by the eye of faith, to discover the 
finger of God, pointing me to the benighted African, and 
have heard his voice saying, with the affection of a 
Father and the authority of a Sovereign, ■ Come, follow 
me' — ' He that loveth father or mother more than me is 
not worthy of me ;' and adding, for my encouragement, 
' I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.' I do feel that 
God calls me to become a missionary, and do, with this 
belief, resolve to consider myself as devoted to that ser- 
vice, hoping that God will qualify me, and make me a 
faithful servant for Christ's sake" 

As has been before stated, Miss Chapin embarked 
for Africa, in company with Mr. and Mrs. Payne, Jan- 
uary 28th, 1842. Her farewell letter to her friends, 
closed on board the vessel, expresses her satisfaction on 
the prospect of soon being on missionary ground, but 
shows that she felt deeply, the pain of parting from her 
friends. " Do not think," she writes, " that I can bid 
adieu to the shores of America without a tear — no ; I 
cannot ! The separation is far more trying than I had 
anticipated ; but I must not indulge myself in saying 
what is in my heart. Nature struggles hard, and I stop 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. ^Q7 

to wipe away the tears which gather fast, and interrupt 
the traces of my pen, — still, I go willingly, cheerfully " 

The vessel encountered much boisterous weather, 
and the passengers suffered much from sea-sickness. In 
thirty days they anchored at Sierra Leone, and after- 
ward visited Monrovia ; but Miss Chapin's letters con- 
tain only passing notices of these places. On the twenty- 
sixth of March, she thus records, in her journal, her 
feelings on arriving at her future home. " Yesterday, 
at half-past eleven, we anchored at Cape Palmas. 
Dined with the Rev. Mr. Wilson, Missionary of the 
American Board, and there met Dr. Savage, who 
accompanied us to Mt. Vaughan. Never shall I forget 
my emotions when my eyes first rested on the spot 
which had been the home of those faithful servants of 
God, for whom I had offered so many prayers ; and 
found myself surrounded by those degraded beings, 
whom I hoped to be the happy, though unworthy instru- 
ment, of turning from the error of their ways, and of 
leading to the cross of Christ. Oh, my God ! qualify 
me for my work ; make me a faithful servant in thy 
cause. Though I be called to suffer, may 1 have grace 
to bear it all with patience, ever bearing in mind what 
Christ suffered to save me, one of the vilest of sinners, 
from the torments of hell." 



CHAPTER XII. 

Mrs. Savage's Illness— Extracts from her Letters and Journal. 

She was confined to her room, by the acclimating fever, 
only twelve days, and soon after her recovery, writes to 
her parents : "I feel an entire confidence that I am in 
the path of duty, and give you my assurance that I am 
contented and happy." Referring to the new relation 
into which she was about to enter, she thus writes : 
" God grant that I may have a full sense of the respon- 
sibilities I am bringing upon myself, and grace to meet 
every difficulty. Guide and direct me, oh my Father ! 
in all the duties which may subsequently devolve upon 
me. I still feel, at times, that I am not qualified for the 
duties devolving upon the wife of a missionary, but am 
much encouraged by the promise, ' my grace is sufficient 
for thee.' I have resolved, by the assistance of God, 
that I will be a dutiful and affectionate wife, and en- 
deavor, both by precept and example, so to govern all 
pertaining to my household, that we may in truth say : 
1 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' As 
I look around upon this dark land, and see so many sink- 
ing in ignorance and sin, I am led to cry out, ' Lord ! 
what wilt thou have me to do,' and what am I doing? 
what have I this day done, to advance the cause of my 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. jQg 

dear Redeemer ? What has my conversation and con- 
duct been ? has it been such that others would take 
knowledge of me, that I had been with Jesus ? God 
grant that the coming day may be more wholly conse- 
crated." 

She had now assumed the superintendance of the 
girls' school at Mt. Vaughan, and was actively engaged 
in efforts for the salvation of the people around her, both 
colonists and natives. With what ardor she engaged in 
these labors of love, and with what diligence and fidelity 
she watched over her own spiritual interests, is evi- 
denced by her journal. 

" June 14th — This day has been one of much prayer 
for the salvation of these miserable people. I now see 
one great reason why Christians are not more interested 
for them. If they would inform themselves more re- 
specting them, — of their depravity and wretchedness, 
they would wake up to a sense of their duty." 

"June 20th — Have this evening been led to reflect 
much upon death, partly from visiting the graves of 
those who have fallen a sacrifice (a willing one) to this 
sultry clime. glorious death ! to be counted worthy 
to suffer and die for him, who shed his blood so freely 
for our sins. Have felt, at times, that it would be a 
severe trial to leave these people, thus degraded and in 
need of instruction, to lie down in the grave ; but I fear 
that it is because I am not willing to depart. Oh, 
merciful God ! lead me to give up myself more entirely 
into thy hands, that I may be willing to live and labor, 
or to suffer and die, as thou dost think best ; make me 
truly thine !" 



HQ HISTORY OF 

" June 22d — This day, have had much spiritual en- 
joyment. We hoped that there was some prospect of an 
awakening' among the children ; but the night has 
brought with it a severe disappointment. One of our 
boys, and sad to tell, one who was a communicant in 
our Church, has fallen into gross sin. Oh, God ! grant 
that it may make me more watchful and more faithful 
in the performance of my duties. Let me not be dis- 
couraged, but labor and pray, relying upon thy precious 
promise that, ' in due season we shall reap if we faint 
not.' Help me, oh, God ! to be more faithful, and give 
me a more ardent love for the souls of those around me ; 
but forbid that I should forget to work out my own sal- 
vation with fear and trembling." 

" June 29th. — This day has been observed by us, 
as one of fasting and prayer, for the blessing of God 
upon our Mission. Have visited and prayed with three 
of our communicants, who give evidence of vital piety. 
Many prayers have been this day offered, for an awak- 
ening among us, who are Christians, and many more 
for these benighted people. May God hear and answer 
them. May we, from this time, be stimulated to greater 
effort in saving souls. We see, before our eyes, the 
eternal danger of souls 'living without hope and with- 
out God in the world,' and may an energy, now dor- 
mant, be waked up, which shall spare no pains, and 
stop at no difficulties, till the Gospel of Jesus Christ 
which alone can bring 'life and immortality to light,' 
shall have cast its reviving beams upon this dark habi- 
tation of the earth, now filled with cruelty and crime. 
May we not be deterred by danger, or discouraged by 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. m 

disappointment and trials, but labor faithfully in the 
cause of our blessed Redeemer, relying upon his pro* 
mise for a blessing." 

"June 30th. — Have been engaged to-day in visiting, 
with the children, the colonists around us. Some seem 
to feel an interest for the salvation of their souls, while 
others, who profess to know and serve the Lord, do not 
know what is to save them, but seem to rely upon the 
few outward forms which they have " 

"August 10th. — This day has been one of doubt and 
darkness. Have felt a depression of spirits, yet know 
not why. It is not that God has withdrawn his bless- 
ings, for they are pouring upon me innumerably. A 
kind and affectionate husband is one of the chief bless- 
ings of my life. Every temporal blessing necessary for 
my comfort, God, in his goodness, has bestowed upon 
me. He even allows me the blessed privilege of labor- 
ing in his cause. ! that I might be a more faithful 
servant ! Wake up, my soul ! to a sense of thy duty ; 
no longer let thy powers lie dormant, while souls are 
fast sinking to endless death ! Forgive this coldness, oh 
my God ! and help me, from this time, to live more to 
thee — even wholly to thee. May I act under the habitual 
and uniform impulse of love to my exalted Saviour, and 
oh, God ! grant that I may, with reason, adopt the ex- 
ulting declaration of the prophet : — ' Although the fig 
tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine ; 
the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield 
no meat ; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and 
there shall be no herd in the stall ; yet will I rejoice in 
the Lord ; I will joy in the God of my salvation.' " 



112 HISTORY OF 

" August 20th. — I am now brought to the close of 
another week, and how has it been ? What report has 
it borne to the dread tribunal before which I must soon 
appear ? What has been my occupation, my temper, 
my conversation, and the state of my heart ? Have I 
suffered my time to pass away with no profit to myself, 
or to these degraded people amongst whom I dwell ? 
Have I borne with Christian patience and resignation, 
all the little trials and disappointments I have been 
called to meet? Alas! my own conscience condemns 
me for the mis-use of the talents which God has com- 
mitted to me. Sorrows have not been borne with that 
submission to the will of God which should characterize 
every true follower of Christ. I pray God to forgive 
my murmuring, complaining temper, and to help me to 
meet all the disappointments, which must attend one 
in this heathen land, as coming from the All- wise dis- 
poser of events. May mercies unnumbered, surrounding 
me, excite in me the grateful affections to the Giver of 
all good. As I review the past week, I see much room 
for improvement. Wilt thou, oh ! my God ! help me to 
commence the approaching one in thy fear, and to spend 
it in thy service. I now resolve, with Divine assistance* 
to live more devoted to the service of my Redeemer, and 
to labor faithfully for these souls, relying entirely upon 
God for a blessing upon my labors." 

"August 22d. — This day has been one of trials of 
the body, which I fear have not been borne with as 
much Christian patience as they ought to have been. 
I well know my sufferings are no more than I need, and 
not half I deserve. But oh ! how blessed am I in hav- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 213 

ing the consolations of the Gospel to comfort me, when 
tried and afflicted ! Though the head be weary and the 
heart be troubled, in my Bible I can find a cure for 
every ill. Here I can read of that land where sorrow 
never comes. Privileged indeed, am I, above these 
people amongst whom I dwell. They too can feel and 
suffer. Their hearts may sink as low, and ache as bit- 
terly as mine ; and yet, the Gospel speaks no peace to 
them. Oh, my God! wilt thou assist me in teaching 
them the way of life!" 

"August 28th, — Another holy Sabbath is drawing 
to a close ; perhaps the last one I shall spend upon earth. 
Perhaps, ere another Sabbath shall have dawned on 
this benighted land, I shall be called to lie down in the 
grave, there to repose till the last trumpet shall call me 
to stand before the throne of that Great Being, whom I 
have, this day, professed to worship. "I have been pre- 
vented from attending upon the services of His sanctuary, 
but have had much joy in looking forward to that home 
which remains for the people of God. Oh, Lord ! pre- 
pare me to enter into that rest, and even this week, 
should I become a prey to the ' fell destroyer,' make me 
ready to depart. Help me so to live, that, when tried 
and afflicted, I may look forward with joy to my rest 
in heaven." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Account of Mrs. Savage's Last Illness and Death. 

The following account of the last hours of Mrs. Savage, 
is extracted from a letter addressed, by her husband, to 
her afflicted relatives in the United States. 

"The health of Mrs. Savage had been precarious 
for a month previous to her decease, generally bad. Her 
last attack, it may be said, began on the evening of 
Friday, the 1 5th of December. She was then in a state 
of great debility.* She continued to the 19th, without 
much change for the better or worse ; at this date, I be- 
gan to take notes of her case and state of mind. 

"On the 19th, as I approached her bedside, she took 
my hand in the most affectionate manner, and, with a 
heavenly expression on her countenance, said : ' Yester- 
day I thought it would be sweet to live, and it appeared 
to me hard to die ; but not so now — it will be all for 
the best.' Towards evening, she desired me to read 
to her in the Bible, before a disposition to sleep should 
come on. I took up her own Bible, a book which 
had been, from the first, her almost constant com- 
panion, and read the greater part of the 8th chapter of 
Romans, the 16th, 17th, 31st, 32d, 38th, and 39th 
verses, of which I found she had marked. She ex- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. H5 

pressed great pleasure during the exercise, and appeared 
to be greatly comforted. IShe seemed to suffer less 
from pain on the night of the 19th than during the day, 
and, except the debility, her symptoms, during the 
20 ih, were more favorable. At about three in the 
morning, a severe paroxysm of pain, supervened, and her 
observation was, ' If I cannot soon find relief, I must 
die.' At the height of it, she uttered an exclamation 
significant oi her sufferings, but the next moment her 
voice was raised in a song of praise : 

'The. spirit, in our hearts, 

Is whispering, sinner, come ! 
The bride, the Church of Christ proclaims 
To all his children, come !' 

" The tune to which she sang it, was Olney. In 
the stillness of that moment — the time — the dead hour 
of night — in the chamber of sickness and suffering — nay, 
as I then began to fear, of death — when her frail body 
was racked with pain — the effect was indescribable. It 
seemed almost the voice of a sister spirit calling her 
upward. And this was the habit of her mind. It was 
no effort for her to fix her mind on Christ. Fearful 
lest a murmur or a feeling of impatience might arise, 
she turns her inward eye upon Him, and in view of 
what He had suffered for her, and of the freeness of 
His grace and promises, she embraces Him, and He 
turns her groans into a song of praise ! 

"The passion of Christ was her favorite theme. 
When questioned by me as to her symptoms, and if in 
pain, she would give a suitable answer, but in immedi- 
ate connection say : — ' But oh ! how much did the Sa- 



116 HISTORY OF 

viour suffer for us ! and shall I shrink from these light 
pains ? How cheerfully ought I to suffer for Him !' 
Perhaps an entry, which I have since found in her 
journal, will be properly introduced here. 

"September 13th. — Have been ill for three days 
past, but am much better, for which I ought to be 
thankful to God. I am just beginning to realise that 
the missionary must be tried in body and mind. We 
must here meet with trials, disappointments, discourage- 
ments, and much tribulation ; and oh, that I might 
amid all these, bear in mind how much more Christ 
has suffered for me ! When I think of the suffer- 
ings the blessed Jesus endured for me, not only in his 
body, but his soul ; — Avhen I reflect on his agony in the 
garden and on the cross, that he suffered the fierceness 
of the wrath of the Almighty for me, a sinner, shall I 
not bear any thing he is pleased to lay upon me, with- 
out a murmur, particularly if, while afflicting the body, 
he comforts the soul. God has thus far enabled me to 
trust in his promises and apply them to myself, and, ' as 
my day, so shall my strength be.' If I am called to great 
trials, I trust God will give me great grace to endure 
them ; if to great duties, great grace to perform them. 
I am principally anxious that I may never murmur or 
find fault with His dispensations towards me, but glorify 
Him at all times, and always be able to say, from the 
heart, ' good is the will of the Lord — all his ways are 
perfect.' I pray thee oh, my God ! to silence every murmur, 
and sanctify every light affliction to the good of my soul. 
Lord ! I have come to thee again and again, and I do 
now come to thee for guidance and direction. 0, wilt 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. \yj 

thou assist me to do thy will, and to be a faithful ser- 
vant in thy cause, that, when called to give an account 
of my stewardship, I may receive, from my Lord, the 
happy plaudit, ' well done my good and faithful servant.' 
T know I can do nothing of myself, and wilt thou oh, God ! 
unworthy as I am, assist me by thy grace ? 0, guide 
and direct me in the path of duty, and may it ever be 
the motto of my life, ' Lord, ichat wilt thou have me to 
do?'" 

" During Wednesday night, the twenty-first, Me. was 
restless. Since the last paroxysm of pain mentioned, 
she expressed herself to the hour of death, perfectly free 
from suffering of any kind. She remarked that she had 
much to say, but supposed she ought not to say it, being 
so weak. I asked if her Saviour continued to be as near 
and dear to her, as she had before found him to be. She 
replied : ' yes ! I think I never really knew before how 
precious he is.' Perceiving my emotion, she asked if I 
thought she could recover, and begged I would not hesi- 
tate to tell her freely. To my reply, she answered : 
' Well ! as the Lord wills. I am perfectly resigned to 
die or live, as He may think best.' And such, it seems 
to me, has been the habit of her mind, ever since I first 
knew her. In respect to God, she appeared like an af- 
fectionate, confiding and obedient child, in the arms of 
her Parent, knowing no will but His. It has been a 
fixed principle with her, to watch the dealings of God, 
to study closely into His Providence, believing that all 
He does, is done as a kind Father, disciplining and deal- 
ing with His children for their best good." 

" The following stanza, which I find written upon a 



113 HISTORYOP 

blank leaf of her Bible, bearing the date of 15th of May, 

is illustrative of this." 

" For me, Lord ! whatever lot 
The hours, commissioned, bring ; 
If all my withering blessings die, 
Or fairer clusters spring, 
Grant, Lord ! that still, with grateful heart, 
My years resigned may run ; 
Tis thine to give or to resume — 
I Thy will, not mine, be done." 

" Having been called away from her bedside for a 
short time, on my return I asked if she had been com- 
fortable. ' Not comfortable in mind,' was her reply. 
' What is the matter V ' I have been thinking of the na- 
tives.' Supposing that, through bodily weakness, she 
might have conceived some fear of them, though I never 
knew her to manifest the slightest, on any occasion, I 
said, ' I would not think of them. Fix your thoughts on 
Christ and heaven, and that will draw them olT.' ' It 
was in that connexion I was thinking of them,' said she, 
in an emphatic manner. Her sympathies have ever been 
strong in their behalf, and whenever she has witnessed 
their customs, so strongly indicative of their degradation, 
she has exclaimed, with deep feeling. ' ! could Chris- 
tians at home but realize their obligations ! how many of 
these poor beings would be saved who will soon be lost !' 
The salvation of the heathen occupied her waking and 
sleeping thoughts. In the dead of night, and when 
asleep, has she audibly prayed for the children under 
her care, and the last entry made in her journal is that of 
a prayer for them. It has been my practice to hold a 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. Jig 

prayer meeting on Saturday night, when the older schol- 
ars and members of the Mission repeat a verse of Scrip- 
ture, from memory, upon which I ask questions and give 
explanations. Mrs. Savage has often expressed her en- 
joyment in these, meetings, and it is respecting one of 
them that she speaks in this extract." 

" Am prevented, by indisposition, from attending our 
Saturday evening meeting, which I have always enjoyed 
when present. my God ! be pleased to sanctify the 
instruction now given to the heathen children, here col- 
lected. Oh wilt thou dispose the hearts of some of them, 
to devote themselves to thy service, and, from this little 
school, send forth some, through the length and breadth 
of this land, to proclaim Jesus Christ and Him crucified 
to the millions of their perishing countrymen." 

'* As the day broke on the morning of the twenty- 
third, and the light shone into the room, the evidence 
was too strong, in her countenance, that she was rapidly 
sinking into the grave. She had, at about half-past 
ibur, lost all consciousness, and at five, or a little after, 
went into convulsions. She afterwards somewhat re- 
vived, and though unable to speak, was evidently con- 
scious, and aware of her state. Whenever spoken to, 
she would turn her suffused eye towards the speaker, 
and when asked if her Saviour was near — if all were 
peace — it, was immediately raised towards heaven, and 
.he expression that lighted up her countenance, told 
more plainly than words could tell, that heaven was her 
home. In the afternoon, Mrs. Payne arrived from Ca- 
valla. They had not met for several weeks, and if an 
fifthly desire remained to be gratified, it was to see this 



■.* 



120 History op 

much loved sister. I shall never forget her countenance 
when, leading Mrs. Payne to her bedside, I said, ' My 
dear ! here is Mrs. Payne, that dear friend you have so 
much desired to see.' She could not speak, nor could she 
see ; yet the movement of her lips, the eye and the light 
of her countenance, bespoke an intercourse of soul that 
told how sweet is the communion of saints, even on 
earth." 

" She had a third convulsion towards evening, of 
much less severity than the former, after which she 
rapidly declined, and breathed her last almost in coinci- 
dence with the setting of the sun." 

Although the deaths of three of our African Mis- 
sionaries, following each other in such quick succession, 
must be regarded as most afflictive proof of the danger to 
be incurred in this perilous field, a calm review of the 
history of the Mission affords no ground for discourage* 
ment. The Church had commenced the enterprise with 
a full knowledge of the formidable obstacles which must 
oppose its progress. Those who had entered upon the 
work, knew well that disease and death lay in their 
path, but the command of the Saviour — ' Go ye into 
all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature,' 
was imperative, and admitted of no exception. Looking 
upon the perishing millions in the wild wastes of Africa^ 
for whom Christ had died no less than for the dwellers 
in more favored climes, they esteemed it a blessed privi- 
lege to encounter any dangers and endure any suffering, 
that they might hold up the lamp of life in a region 
where brooded the very blackness of moral death. None 
counted their lives dear unto themselves, and those who 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 121 

had been called to lay them down, did so, rejoicing that 
they were counted worthy to have done the smallest 
service in this hallowed cause. 

Said the first, as her eye was fixed on heaven, then 
opening before her, " I have no regret that I engaged in 
this cause. I never experienced so much happiness be- 
fore, and I die with the assurance that I am in the path 
of duty," 

Said the second, to a friend by her side, " the hap- 
piness of living and laboring in this benighted land, will 
be yours — but I must die. Tell my friends in America 
that I feel no regret for coming to Africa ;" and then, 
with an audible prayer for the success of the Mission, 
she calmly expired in the arms of her Saviour. 

Said the third, *' I have the assurance that I have 
been directed by the Lord. I could have wished to live 
longer, that I might do more for this degraded people, 
but the will of the Lord be done.' 

Those who yet survived, though sorrowing, yet 
always rejoicing — cast down, but not destroyed — grate- 
fully acknowledged that their loss had been less than 
might have been reasonably expected. Six years had 
now elapsed since the establishment of the Mission, 
during which twelve white laborers had been employed. 
Of these, three had, indeed, been removed by death, but 
this was a small proportion in a climate so unfavorable. 
Six Stations had been opened, operating upon a popula- 
tion of twenty thousand, and imparting instruction to 
about two hundred persons, men, women and children, 
in day and evening schools. Thirty persons had been 
admitted to the Church, of whom more than half were 
natives. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Death of Rev. L. B. Minor — His birth and boyhood— College life — Charac- 
teristic incidents. 

"We come now to the period of melancholy interest, 
when the Church was called to mourn the less of the 
first clergyman who had fallen in her missionary ranks. 
On the 29th of May, the African Mission was again 
most deeply afflicted in the death of the Rev. L. B. 
Minor, who, among the first to offer for the Foreign 
Service, had, for six years, devoted himself, with untir- 
ing energy and zeal, to the cause of Christ in one of its 
most laborious fields. We have hitherto, only briefly 
noticed Mr. Minor's labors in connection with the Mis- 
sion ; intending to present, in one view, such memorials 
of his life and death as we have been able ..to collect. 

Launcelot Byrd Minor was the son of Gen. John 
Minor, of Hazle Hill, near Fredericksburg, Va., and 
Lucy Landon, daughter of Landon Carter, Esq., of King 
George county, Va. ; and was born on the 9th of Sep- 
tember, 1813, at "Topping Castle," Caroline county, 
the country seat of his parents. We may trace to a 
very early period in his life, those strongly marked traits 
of character, which, when sanctified by Divine grace, 
peculiarly fitted him for the work of a pioneer in the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 123 

service of the Church. His philanthropy was ardent 
and expansive ; his benevolence disinterested and self- 
sacrificing ; and to these moral qualities, he added a 
natural love of enterprize and adventure, a courage in- 
sensible to danger, and great powers of physical endur* 
ance. Narratives of travel were the favorite books of 
his boyhood, and among them, he was especially de- 
lighted with the story of Mungo Park. Even in early 
childhood, he seems to have manifested an interest in 
Africa and her degraded children. With an older bro- 
ther and sister, he was accustomed to deposit a portion 
of his little savings in a joint money box, whose contents 
were carefully hoarded to aid the benevolent designs of 
the Colonization Society. His diligence in reading Rol- 
lin's Ancient History was rewarded, by his mother, with 
the sum of twenty-five cents a volume ; and this, aug- 
mented by the profits of his own industry in the manu- 
facture of little boxes and other similar articles, was 
brought to his sister "for the Missionaries in Africa." 

When quite young, Launcelot was entrusted to the 
care of an uncle in Louisa county, where he remained 
several years. This relative is described as "a wise 
man in the education of his children ; a true patriot of 
the old stamp, full of ideas of Roman simplicity and 
virtue ; designing to bring up his children in habits of 
hardihood and virtuous exertion of mind and body." 
It is easy to discern the effects of this early training, in 
the future character of the pupil. His love of rambling 
and athletic sports was, at times, rather too apparent in 
his soiled and tattered garments. On one occasion, his 
mother remonstrated with him on the reckless wear and 



124 HISTORY OF 

tear to which his apparel was subjected. His reply was 
characteristic; " Mother, I want to make them hardy." 
He was reminded that his heedlessness was sinful, aa 
the money, thus expended, might be more usefully em- 
ployed. The admonition was not lost ; for the clothes 
were always found, when not in use, carefully brushed 
and laid away, with a cloth spread over them. The in- 
cident was worthy of note as evincing a strong regard 
to principle in one so young. His subsequent school-boy 
days were spent at Edge wood, Hanover county, and 
when about sixteen years of age, he became a student at 
Kenyon College. At the close of the year, having lent 
the money which had been provided foi his expenses, 
he set off for home on foot ; and twice afterwards ac- 
complished the whole journey, a distance of four hun- 
dred miles, in the same way. The exposure to which 
he was subjected on these occasions, was, however, a 
permanent injury to his health. It was the cause of a 
rheumatic affection which never ceased to trouble him, 
and which so contracted the sinew of his right thumb, 
that writing became an irksome and painful exercise. 
It was in one of these journeys just referred to, that an 
incident occurred, strongly illustrative of some points in 
his character. He was in Canada, on his way to New- 
York, when he met with a poor Irish boy in distress, 
having no one to direct or assist him. Launcelot had 
in his possession, besides a draft which he thought 
could not be cashed until he reached New- York, scarcely 
money enough to defray his own expenses ; but this was 
not to be considered an obstacle to his benevolence. 
"With characteristic disinterestedness, he became the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 125 

lad's patron, and undertook, by some means or other, to 
convey him to his friends. Of course, this could not 
be accomplished without much self-denying exertion. 
Whenever it was possible, they proceeded on foot, and 
when this could not be done, they travelled in the cheap- 
est manner. At one time, Minor himself, ate nothing 
for twenty-four hours, lest his little stock should be ex- 
hausted before they reached the end of their journey. 
Having taken a deck passage on one of the boats for 
himself and the boy, he overheard the cabin passengers 
disputing about some point, upon which his excellent 
memory furnished the desired information. Forgetting 
the position in which he had chosen to place himself, he 
joined in the discussion. This called forth some rude 
expression of contempt for the opinion of a deck passen- 
ger, which Launcelot's somewhat fiery spirit could not 
brook, and a rather serious altercation ensued. Mean- 
while, a party of the lad's countrymen, having learned 
something of the kindness of his young friend, could 
hardly be restrained from deciding the argument with 
the shelalah. 

Mr. Minor seems to have been, naturally, of a diffi- 
dent and reserved disposition. One of his relations 
writes: "His diffidence, indeed almost feminine bashful- 
ness, was, I remember, great. I do not think he talked 
much, but if roused, his earnestness was beautiful. The 
diffidence of which I speak, would not have extended to 
such a degree as to prevent him from expressing himself 
decidedly, if need were, on any subject, for there was 
an independence and recklessness of danger in his charac- 
ter, which would have graced an ancient martyr. JOn 



12G HISTORY OF 

one occasion, (I cannot remember the subject of conver- 
sation, for I was quite a child, but the circumstance 
made a deep impression on my mind,) I was at his sis- 
ter's, there were several persons present, and he took 
little part in what was passing, looked embarrassed, and, 
I believed, almost suffered from their presence. Gradu- 
ally, the conversation grew animated, and some indivi- 
dual took, what he considered, a false position. Princi- 
ple was involved — he became instantly roused ; for- 
getful of all previous timidity, he rose from his leaning 
position, sat erect, his eye brightened, his countenance 
changed, and he waited for an opportunity to speak. A 
pause at last ensued ; gently, but with firmness, a decision 
and earnestness, you could scarcely have expected from one 
so shrinking, he pointed out errors involved in the opinion, 
showed the evil consequences which would result from 
it, then, with simplicity and clearness, " speaking the 
truth in love," directed the mind to what he believed 
was right, as " founded upon true principles." 



CHAPTER XV. 

Maternal influence — Change in his religious character — Devotes lrimself to the 
ministry, and to the African Mission — Tour in behalf of the £Iisbion — 
Character of hit, preaching 

Mr. Minor was blessed with a devotedly pious mother, 
whose efforts to interest his youthful mind in the con- 
cerns of eternity, seem not to have been in vain. She 
had sown carefully the seeds of Divine truth and watered 
them with her prayers, and she watched, with anxious 
solicitude, for the fruits of her labor. But though, for a 
time, her faith was tried by apparent delay, the work 
was going on, unseen. The buried germ was preparing 
to send forth the vigorous shoot. He seems to have 
been the subject of early religious convictions, although 
his natural reserve prevented him from communicating 
his feelings. 

While in college, he was attacked by dangerous ill- 
ness, and now his mother's solicitude for his eternal 
interests became almost overpowering. AVhile her own 
fervent supplications were ascending in behalf of her 
sick child, she implored her Christian friends 1o unite 
with her in interceding for his conversion. She also sent 
a similar request to the clergymen of almost every de- 
nomination in Fredericksburg, and there seems to have 
been a remarkable coincidence between these especial 



128 HISTORY OF 

prayers and the change which now took place in his 
character. Hitherto, he had been ever correct in his 
moral deportment, and exhibited, in all his conduct in 
reference to religious things, the general influence of his 
mother's faithful instructions ; but his heart remained 
yet untouched by the constraining love of Christ. He 
had not so realized his lost condition by nature, as to 
know the full value of the price paid for his redemption. 
He had not yet learned to cling to the cross of Christ as 
his only refuge from the wrath to come, and to recog- 
nize, in that exhibition of divine love, the all-powerful 
motive for entire consecration to the service of his Re- 
deemer. But now, when there seemed but a step be- 
tween him and death, the light of eternity revealed the 
true importance of the lessons which had been familiar 
to him, even from infancy, and, with full purpose of 
heart, he resolved that henceforth he would live, not 
unto himself, but unto Him who had died for him. 
Henceforward, with his natural fearlessness and firmness 
of character, directed and confirmed by the Spirit of God, 
he pressed forward with unfaltering step in the race upon 
which he had entered. He had enlisted, with entire de- 
termination, under the banner of his Redeemer, and 
manfully did he continue the conflict unto his life's end. 
No prospect of toil, of suffering or of death, could deter 
him from any field where a triumph was to be won in the 
cause of his Divine Master. His was just such a spirit 
as we should naturally select to stand in the post of 
danger ; and we do not wonder that, when he had re- 
solved to enter the ministry, he should be led to exercise 
his office in the very midst of the hostile hosts. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. -J29 

In the early part of his college course, he had seen, 
in an old almanac, the statement that six hundred mil- 
lions of his fellow men still remained in heathen dark- 
ness ; and, from that time, as he afterwards told a 
clerical friend, his mind was made up, that if he should 
ever become a Christian, he would be also a missionary. 

His determination to devote himself to the work of 
the ministry, was formed immediately after the change 
recorded above. He entered the Theological Seminary 
near Alexandria, D. C, in the autumn of 1833, and 
during his course of study, was actively engaged in seek- 
ing the temporal and spiritual good of the destitute in 
that neighborhood. He was the founder of a Sunday 
school at Falls Church which he attended with untiring 
zeal, and though obliged to walk seven miles to reach 
it, was never absent, however severe might be the 
weather. 

In the course of his journies through the United 
States and Canada, he had become much interested in 
the poor aborigines of our own forest, and, at one time, 
thought of devoting himself to a mission among them. 
Being dissuaded from this, by his friends, he turned his 
attention to China, which then appeared to be the only 
foreign field open to missionaries of our Church. While, 
with the enlarged view of a Christian philanthropist, he 
acknowledged the whole world as the field of mission- 
ary enterprise, he was earnestly inquiring in what por- 
tion of that field, God would have him labor. At the 
Virginia Convention, in 1834, the Rev. Dr. Milnor, then 
Secretary and General Agent of the Foreign Committee, 
announced the desire of that body to attempt, once 



130 history or 

more, the establishment of a mission in West Africa, and 
exhorted the students of the seminary prayerfully to 
consider the question of duty in reference to that un- 
happy country. About this time, a prayer-circle was 
formed among those whose attention had been turned to- 
wards the foreign field, in which Boone, Savage, Payne 
and Minor were accustomed to unite their supplications 
for Divine guidance. Who can doubt that they obtained 
the blessing thus fervently sought ? The following letter 
will show the state of Minor's feelings at that time. It 
was addressed to his mother, and bears the date 

"June 27 th, 1836 
" From all that I can learn, there is no longer any 
doubt but that white men must go to Africa. And 
now, dear mother, comes the question, ■ is it my duty to 
go ?' I feel entirely unable to decide the question, and 
therefore shall endeavor to leave all things in the hands 
of God. God willing, I propose setting apart next Sat- 
urday, as a day of fasting and prayer for Divine assist- 
ance. I wish you and all the family to pray with me. 
Let me hear from you, if possible, before then. Fare- 
well, dearest mother ! that God may strengthen and 
support you in the hour of trial shall be the constant 
prayer of your son, 

"L. B. Minor." 

The request contained in this letter, was faithfully 
observed by his excellent mother, and the result was 
most remarkable. Hitherto, her feelings had been 
strongly opposed to her son going any where abroad, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 13^ 

especially to Africa. The day passed, and with it passed, 
at once and forever, the last lingering desire to oppose 
the holy calling of her child — the last struggle of reluc- 
tant nature to set up its claims in opposition to the su- 
preme authority of the Redeemer's last command. The 
effect of that day's solemn exercises upon Minor's own 
mind, is communicated in his next letter. 

"Theological Seminary, Jw/?/ 6, 1836. 
" Dear Mother :— I was much disappointed at not 
receiving an answer to my last letter. But the day is 
now passed, and you are waiting to hear the result. 
After a calm and prayerful consideration of the subject, 
it is my firm conviction that Africa is the field of labor 
allotted me by God. To Africa, I am willing, nay, anx- 
ious, to go. I thank my heavenly Father, that the trial 
has not been greater than I could bear. His grace alone 
has supported me, and I feel assured, my dear mother, 
that you also will be assisted by the same Spirit. 
Many of my fears with regard to the climate have been 
removed." 

The important question was now finally decided. 
We have noticed his early interest in the poor degraded 
race to whom he now devoted his life, and we know 
that interest had been unabated through his college 
course, when he still continued his contribution to the 
Colonization Society, from the proceeds of a small patch 
of ground cultivated for the purpose. How far these 
circumstances affected his decision, we cannot, perhaps, 
determine ; but we are assured that he was greatly in- 



132 HISTORY OF 

fluenced by the consideration of that heavy debt, due to 
the oppressed people, from American Christians. 

In the summer of 1836, soon after his ordination, he 
received his appointment from the Foreign Committee, 
and was for some months employed, in conjunction with 
his colleague, Rev. John Payne, in presenting the claims 
of their cause in Maryland and Virginia. Of his efforts 
at this time, we have, from his own pen, only the fol- 
lowing little record. 

"Richmond, January 4, 1837. 
" My reception has uniformly been hospitable. Dis- 
couragements have been mingled with comforts. One 
person said within my hearing, that he had no intention 
of going to Africa. For bitterness of soul I could have 
wept. A poor widow came to the roadside to put in 
my hand twenty-five cents. She said it was all she had, 
but her prayers should go with it, and as she spoke, 
tears ran down her care- worn countenance. I said 
within myself, surely God, who hath opened the heart 
of this widow, will never permit his servants to want." 

Bishop Meade, who was with him on this occasion, 
remembers that the young missionary mingled his tears 
with those of the humble Christian, who thus evinced 
her sympathy in the work to which his heart was given. 
Several months were thus spent in passing from parish 
to parish, and preaching as he had opportunity. His 
success in awakening interest and in collecting funds, is 
mentioned in the "Spirit of Missions" for this date, as 
affording "encouraging evidence that the cause of Africa 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. ;j 33 

is coming near to many hearts, that the Church will be 
sustained, and her missionaries encouraged in the Mis- 
sion." 

In one of the few fragments of journal found among 
his papers, he mentions having preached at Fredericks- 
burg, the home of his family, with some little discom- 
fort, and expresses some apprehensions as to the de- 
pressing effect of the African climate; but concludes 
with — "God is my helper, therefore I will not fear. 
Without his assistance, I am nothing. Man is but va- 
por." On the opposite side was irregularly written:— 
1 Never shall it be said that the sable chieftain from the 
African coast sought, in vain, for the Gospel. Farewell- 
dearest mother ! Farewell, dearest mother ! " 

The sermon concerning Africa, of which he probably 
made frequent use at the time, is preserved. It com- 
mences with a congratulation on the position which the 
Church had assumed in the General Convention of 1835 ; 
dwells on the debt due to Africa, both from England 
and America ; exhibits, undisguisedly, the difficulties of 
the Mission on which he had been appointed, yet speaks 
confidently of its success; refers to the continuance of the 
slave trade, and urges missionary enterprize as its most 
effectual check ; and throughout, shows the deepest sense 
of the entire dependence of all such labors upon the help 
and blessing of the Lord. The commencement of his 
plans and purposes, simple as they were, corresponds so 
entirely with what he actually attempted and accom- 
plished, that it deserves a record here. Thus he wrote : 
" By God's help, we will not suffer them to call in vain. 
We will take of these children, so freely offered us, as 



134 HISTORY OP 

many as we can attend to, and educate them thoroughly. 
They will become boarders in our houses, nor will we 
suffer them to hold any intercourse with their parents, 
unless in our presence, lest they become corrupted by 
evil example. As many as God, by his grace, shall see 
fit to convert, we will have ordained and sent forth as 
missionaries of the cross to their benighted countrymen. 
Those who are not called, but who have received a good 
education, we will employ as teachers of schools through- 
out the land." Faithfully did he persevere in the course 
which he here marked out, and if the high hopes with 
which he looked forward to the result, have not all been 
realized, it is because there have been so few to carry 
on the work which he was so soon summoned to relin- 
quish. Who can tell what glorious harvests might have 
been reaped, had laborers, like-minded with himself, 
been furnished in numbers at all proportionate to the 
extent and promise of the field ! 

Mr. Minor's preaching was such as might have been 
expected from the view we have already taken of his 
character. He was a man eminently in earnest in what 
he undertook. " He preached," says a brother in the 
ministry, who, like him, has chosen his sphere of duty 
in a foreign field,* "as he thought and felt, seriously, de- 
cidedly, pointedly, energetically." "The course of one of 
Mr. Minor's sermons is often like one of St. Paul's epis- 
tles ; there is a real, substantial, and close succession of 
argument, but there is none of the mere apparatus of 
arrangement. Of dialectic argument, however, he ex- 
hibits few traces. He usually employed the shorter and 
* Rev. Mr. Syle, Missionary to China. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. I35 

more direct method of appealing, at once, to the con* 
sciences of his hearers, and exhibited an impatience of 
anything which approached to trifling in religious mat- 
ters." We proceed to give a few extracts from his dis- 
courses, which will show how much of his material was 
drawn from his own deep feelings and convictions, ac- 
cording to the Apostolic principles. " We speak that 
we do know and testify that we have seen." In a ser- 
mon on Heb. xi. i, we find this definition of faith : "per- 
fect trust or confidence in God ; such confidence as 
would make you willing, yea, anxious to cast all things 
into his hands ; such trust as would induce you to fol- 
low his directions, though they seem to lead to instant 
destruction." 

On Luke xviii. 1, speaking of the infidel's objections 
to prayer, he remarks that such objections " proceed not, 
as they would have us believe, from superior intelligence 
and free thinking, but from ignorance and from not think- 
ing at all on the subject." Again, on a similar topic : 
" Verily the evidence of divine revelation is abundantly 
bright and overwhelming. The difficulty lies, not in 
the lack of evidence, but in the depraved heart of the ob- 
jector. Man would soon come to doubt that two and 
two make four, did it put the same restraint on his evil 
passions, as is placed there by the religion of Christ." 
Of such as are not yet convinced of their entire inability 
to do any good thing "as of themselves," he says : 
" Their desire is to act the part of a master workman, 
while the spirit performs the part of a humble assistant." 
One more extract will suffice ; the happiness of reunion 
after death is his theme. " Who will describe the joy 



136 HISTORY OF 

of the Christian mother, who finds that of the little flock 
committed to her care, not one is wanting, but each one 
is there, to sing the praises of the Redeemer, who bought 
them with his blood ! How will the missionary of the 
cross, whose bones whitened in distant lands, rejoice to 
embrace his long lost friends and relations. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Mr. Minor embarks for Africa— Letters descriptive of the voyage and conn- 
try — Acclimation— Other letters. 

On the eighteenth of May, 1837, Mr. Minor sailed from 
Baltimore, in company with the Rev. Mr. Payne and 
his wife, for Cape Palmas. His feelings on taking leave 
of his native land are expressed in the following letter : 

" Brig Baltimore, Chesapeake Bay, 
May 19th, 1837. 
Dear Mother — I continued to look after the boat that 
bore you from me, hoping to catch one more glimpse of 
my dear mother, and succeeded in distinguishing your 
bonnet. I felt that I had parted with a friend, in com- 
parison with whom, all others were cold and heartless. 
Your boat proceeded rapidly towards Baltimore, while 
we remained almost motionless. After beating against 
a head wind for some hours, with little success, we 
came to anchor, and remained there until daybreak. The 
next morning, taking advantage of an ebb tide, the an- 
chor was weighed, and we floated down the bay with- 
out the slightest assistance from the wind, until about 
noon, when a light breeze filled the sails and slightly in- 
increased our motion. Nothing of consequence has 



X38 HISTORY OP 

occurred. The sick are doing well, and would do 
better if they could be induced to obey orders. This 
however is not to be expected. The wind has increased 
somewhat since I commenced writing. This period of 
calm, or rather of gentle motion, I have embraced to 
write to my dear mother, fearing that sickness might 
prevent me, when opportunity oilers. Our captain is 
very kind and attentive, and we are comfortable. I 
could be happy were it not for the fear that my mother 
is suffering on my account. 

" May be, if your prayers were of a general nature 
occasionally, you would enjoy more comfort. Pray for 
the heathen, not for those alone among whom your son 
has gone to labor, but for all. Pray, not only for your 
children, but for the children of all your neighbors and 
friends. In watering others, you, yourself, will be 
watered. Dear mother, farewell. 

"L. B. Minor." 

The voyage afforded no incident of sufficient impor- 
tance to claim a notice here, but the following may be of 
some interest. 

June 13th, 1837. 
" Dear mother — The ' trade winds' are here, but not 
as we expected. Instead of a regular, steady breeze, 
we have had head winds, light winds, and no winds at 
all. Our progress of course was slow r , but we are here 
at last, thank God ! Porto Praya, St. Jago, June 13th. 
' June 14th — I have been ashore. Such a town, 
such a country, and such a people, never did my eyes 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. jog 

behold ! Almost the first object I met, was a huge ne- 
gro covered wilh leprosy from head to foot. Had I the 
power, I would not describe him ; it was too horrible. 
He is literally a being without hope in this world or in 
the world to come. Oh ! that God would have mercy 
on his soul ! The bare thought of him almost brings 
tears into my eyes. 

" June 15th. ***###»#* We shall proba- 
bly go to sea this evening. Farewell, dearest mother ! 
My love to all ; pray for me. 

" L. B. Minor." 

He arrived at his future home on the 4 th of July, 
and on the following day, we find him writing to his 
affectionate mother as follows : 



C. P. Mission House, ) 
, 1837. \ 



West Africa, July 5th, 
"My dear Mother — I am in Africa — yet live. I 
have breathed the tainted atmosphere, yet have no fear. 
"VYe arrived at this place yesterday in good health, 
twenty-seven days after leaving Baltimore. Our pas- 
sage from the Cape de Verdes was long and tedious, but 
I do not regret it. It gave me an opportunity of exam- 
ining my heart, whether it was prepared for eternity, 
should God see fit to call me from the world. Some- 
times, the thought would arise in my mind that I was 
rushing, uncalled, into the presence of my Maker ; but 
generally, the grace of God was with me. Indeed, I 
enjoyed religion during the voyage as much, if not more, 
than at any previous period. My sufferings from sea- 
sickness were by no means light, or of short duration. 



140 HISTORY OF 

"We were under serious apprehensions lest we should 
find no one left to greet us, but to our inexpressible joy 
Dr. Savage met us on the beach. Regardless of ap- 
pearances, we leaped on shore and embraced him, much 
to the amusement of the natives. 

"After dining with Mr. Wilson, Dr. Savage and 
myself went to the Mission house. The situation is 
high, I should think a hundred feet above the level 
of the sea. So far, it has proved healthy. The view 
is most beautiful, and the scenery rich beyond descrip- 
tion. 

" Judging from the appearance of the natives, this 
country is healthy. I never saw a more athletic set of 
men. At all events, we will give the climate a fair 
trial. If then we fall, it is in our Master's cause. 

11 My communications hereafter will be as frequent 
as my health will permit. Dr. S. is opposed to my 
writing much. For some time we shall avoid all labor, 
both physical and mental. If God gives us health, we 
hope to use it for his glory. Farewell, dear mother ; 
give my love to all the family and pray for your son. 

"L. B. Minor." 

We make a short extract from a letter addressed to 
the Foreign Secretary, a few days later. 

"We have at length reached the scene of action, 
and are calmly waiting for the fever. God, in his mercy, 
has removed from our minds all dread whatsoever. In- 
deed, we can scarcely realize that air so bland and soft 
as this, can be so deleterious to human life. But it is 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. J4| 

even so. Possibly I am, at this moment, writing the 
last line I shall ever direct to you, and if so, dear brother, 
farewell until we meet where pain and sickness come 
no more." 

It will appear from the above extracts, that Mr. 
Minor was fully aware of the danger to be encountered 
from the unfriendly climate of Africa. To the objections 
of his friends, his reply was decided and conclusive. "If 
every foot print were on the grave of a missionary, still 
the command must be obeyed : ' Go ye into all the world 
and preach the Gospel to every creature.' A relative 
said to him, ' you will not live ten years in Africa.' 
'True,' he replied, 'true, my dear cousin, but may I not 
do more in ten years, for the kingdom of Christ in Africa, 
than I could in seventy here ? Let me crowd the actions 
of a century in ten years- — 'twere sweeter than to rust 
out a life time.' " 

In the acclimating fever Mr. Minor was dangerously 
ill, but God preserved his life, and we find his next 
letter dated 

" Cape Palmas, December 25, 1837. 
"Contrary to the opinion of many, I am spared once 
more to address you. The dreaded ordeal has been 
passed, yet we not only live, but are enabled to do some 
little in the vineyard of our Master, while a bright pros- 
pect of usefulness is opening before us. That we have 
suffered, cannot be denied, but that suffering has by no 
means exceeded our expectation. This unfortunate, de- 
graded land, has been clothed with terrors not its own. 
Hundreds, whites, are now residing on this coast in the 



142 HISTORY OF 

enjoyment of good health. They who have hitherto 
cloaked their coldness under this plea, must now seek 
some more plausible excuse. There is risk to be run; 
there is suffering to be endured, but surely the follower 
of Christ can never consider this a sufficient reason why 
he should remain idle, while the plentiful harvest lies 
before him, not only fit for the sickle, but falling, wast- 
ing, perishing, for lack of laborers. Far be it from me 
to urge my brethren to rush headlong to the work, 
without thought or sufficient preparation ; nor, on the 
other hand, would I have them tarry, in the vain ex- 
pectation that God, by some unusual method, shall bid 
them go forward to their work. We do not urge them 
to come to our assistance ; our great desire is, not that 
this station flourish, but that the wants of the heathen 
generally, should have its due weight in the minds of 
Christians, though the fault will be ours, if minute and 
accurate information be wanting with regard to the people 
among whom we labor. It would be difficult to con- 
ceive of a people more degraded, more utterly dead to 
every moral sense, than those w r ho daily surround us. In 
vain have we sought for one good quality, one bright 
spot to enliven the dark picture. We are informed that 
a short time previous to our arrival, five persons were 
tried by ' sassa wood,' only two of whom escaped with 
their lives. Among the number of those who perished, 
was a man far advanced in life, whose only offence, if re- 
port be true, was the possession of a rice farm, which, by 
rather more than ordinary industry, he had rendered 
somewhat superior to those of his neighbors. He swal- 
lowed the poisonous liquid, but seemed likely to recover. 



1 n E A I II I C A N M I ss i off. 143 

This, however, was by no means agreeable to the wishe3 
or intentions of his judges; so, seizing him by the feet, 
they dragged him down a steep, rocky hill, where, con- 
tinuing to dash him violently against the ground, they . 
speedily succeeded in extinguishing the vital spark. His 
fertile field was the reward of their iniquity. The word 
of a priest or doctor is alone sufficient to subject a person 
to this terrible ordeal. 

" Such are the people among whom we live and labor. 
Though not entirely without hope of benefitting the 
adult, our eyes are much directed to the younger portion 
of the community. The number contained in the male 
school is at present small ; they are, however, without 
exception, promising boys. Did my health permit, I 
could speedily increase their number, and hope to do so 
within the next month. Feeble health must necessarily 
prove a great drawback to our operations, and though 
the field of labor before us is highly encouraging, little 
fruit can be expected within the next three or four 
years." 

From the the close of this letter, it will be seen that 
he had commenced his duties by taking charge of the 
school at Mt. Vaughan. His next communication con- 
tains more definite information with regard to his pupils. 

"Cape Palmas, January 14, 1838. 
" In vain would I attempt to convey to you an ade- 
quate idea of the pleasure afforded us by the letters per 
brig Niobe. Surely if our friends could but realize our 
feelings, their communications would be more frequent. 



144 HISTORY OP 

But none, save those who, like ourselves, have for 
months been separated, not only from friends, but from 
the world generally, can etfer understand our emotions 
on an occasion, such as the one just mentioned. Still 
less can they sympathise with the bitter disappointment 
caused by an arrival which brings nothing for us ; no, 
not even a newspaper. 

11 Though we cannot entertain the hope that a saving 
change has, in any instance, actually taken place, still 
we are cheered by the belief that our efforts have not 
been entirely useless. In morals, a very decided im- 
provement is manifest among the scholars. Only a few 
months since, we were almost daily called upon to la- 
ment their want of probity and veracity. But now, 
thanks to Almighty God ! the case is far different. It is 
seldom that we have cause even to doubt their word ; 
and if theft has been committed during the past two 
months, we know it not. We do not pretend to say 
that they are faultless ; far from it. Faults are com- 
mitted, and that frequently ; but lying and stealing are 
not among them. This is the more remarkable, as the 
natives are peculiarly prone to those sins, which with 
them are reckoned no disgrace. 

" My room has become quite a resort for them. It 
is true, that such of my books as contain pictures are 
somewhat the worse for their visits ; still I encourage 
them, as it enables me to draw them into familiar con- 
versation, and thereby, to obtain a more intimate know- 
ledge of their respective characters. The interest mani- 
fested in religion, is decidedly greater than is usual 
among boys of the same age in America. They also 



THE AFB : iON. 143 

profess an ardent desire for a new heart, and solemnly 
declare that, never more, will they have anything to do 
with devil-men or gree-grees, but that the God of heaven 
shall be their God. The regularity with which they 
attend their devotions would shame many professing 
Christians* Their views, as might be expected, are im- 
perfect and confused. 

" A portion of the day is regularly devoted by the 
boys, to labor, and we entertain the hope that they will, 
in a short time, contribute somewhat to their own sup- 
port. In order 10 attach them more firmly to the Mis- 
sion, we have given to each a small spot of ground, to 
cultivate as they may think proper. There are now 
growing on the Mission premises, bananas, plantains, 
lemons, oranges, limes, sour-sop, sweet-sop, arrowroot, 
cassada, pine-apples, potatoes, corn, yams, coffee and 
guavas, besides various kinds of American vegetables. 
Could you send us a few bread-fruit plants from the 
West Indies, it would materially improve our stock ; a 
few of these trees would furnish a large amount of 
wholesome food. 

"As you may suppose, my duties are various, and to 
some degree, onerous ; but when I look around on the 
docile little flock who tell me, ' I be fader for dem now.,' 
I feel that the wealth of the world could not afford 
greater pleasure than my present duties." 

Even at this early period of his residence in Africa, 
it is remarked of Mr. Minor by his associates, that he 
" has made good progress in the language of the Grebo, 
and he seems to possess an unusual tact at acquiring 



146 HISTORY OF 

their phrases and converting them to a practical pnr- 
pose." 

In August and September, 1838, he made the two 
visits to Garraway, which have been already mentioned 
in the former part of this work. We find the following' 
notice of the failure of his attempt to establish a station 
there, among the very few and brief records of his 
journal. 

" Sept. 13, 1838. 
" Yesterday I returned from Garraway. They ap- 
peared to care little whether T came among them or not, 
and some were actually opposed to it. Why this change 
of sentiment ? On my first visit it was not so. Duke 
treated me as well as he knew how, but I suffered much 
from mortification. No one spake comfortably to me. 
Those to whom I had a right to look for consolation, 
seemed rather to delight in adding to my sufferings. It 
seemed so to me. God forgive me if I do them wrong. 
But I humbly trust that my afflictions have been, and 
will be, sanctified to me. The mortifications that I suf- 
fered on the occasion showed me, what I ought to have 
known before, that pride had made for itself a dwelling 
place in my heart." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Cape Coast — Fortifications — Missionary efforts. 

Early in April, 1839, Mr. Minor availed himself of an 
opportunity of visiting - the Gold Coast, with a view to 
acquire such information as might determine the ques- 
tion of its eligibility as a field for future effort. He ar- 
rived in the United States in July, and communicated 
the result of his observations, to the Board of Missions, 
in the following document : 

"Fredericksburg, Va., Sept. 20, 1839. 
" Circumstances over which I could exercise no con- 
trol, have prevented me from sooner complying with 
your request to render some account of my late visit to 
that part of Africa called the Gold Coast ; and even 
now, I must confine myself to the subject of Missions. 
Though a resident for nearly two years on the coast of 
Africa, the state of things at the Gold Coast did not 
cease to excite my surprise. Instead of savages in the 
lowest barbarism, as in other parts of Africa, the natives 
had here made considerable advances in civilization ; 
indeed, some of the more wealthy had been well edu- 
cated, and lived in a style of comfort and even splendor. 



148 HISTORY OP 

Their spacious mansions and well spread boards were 
open to all ; and the way-faring man and the stranger 
were especially welcome. They were surrounded by 
numerous slaves and retainers, ready, in case of need, 
to defend their houses, which, in many instances, are so 
constructed as to answer well the purpose of fortifica- 
tions. Indeed, of one house, I saw the ramparts mount- 
ed with a battery of cannon. Nor are these precautions 
taken without sufficient grounds ; for the day has not long 
gone by, when the Ashantees, the scourge of that portion 
of the continent, threatened the utter annihilation of 
their settlements. 

" For nearly three centuries, the greatest portion of 
the Gold Coast has been in the hands of Europeans, who, 
for the security of their trade, have built forts and cas- 
tles of a strength and size almost incredible to those who 
have not seen them ; nor is it easy to conceive how such 
stupendous structures could have been erected on a coast 
so remote and so barbarous. 

" Although the early records of these establishments 
are now lost, or locked up in the archives of some Euro- 
pean government, yet there can be but little doubt that 
they owe their origin to the slave trade, when that traf- 
fic was legal. No legal trade now carried on, would 
justify such expense ; nor does it require such extensive 
fortifications for its protection ; most of them being de- 
serted, their tottering ramparts now serve no other pur- 
pose than to add to the picturesque features of the coast. 
One, among them, bears the name of my native town, 
Fredericksburg. Many, however, are still garrisoned 
and in good order ; and populous villages have grown up 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 149 

around them. The Dutch castle of ' Elmira' is said to 
mount a hundred pieces of cannon, some of which are of 
enormous size, and, viewed from the sea, its frowning 
battlements and lofty towers present an imposing ap- 
pearance. But though this portion of the coast is 
fraught with interest, to the missionary it is especially 
so. Many of the natives here, as I before remarked, 
have been well educated in Europe, and many more 
have been taught to read in the schools kept at some of 
the forts. The former invariably profess the Christian 
faith, though but too often disregarding its precepts. 
The latter, anterior to the arrival of the Wesleyan mis- 
sionaries, had scarcely any ideas on the subject of reli- 
gion. It has seldom happened that the heralds of sal- 
vation have entered on a field more promising, or have 
had the path more fully laid open to them, than was the 
case of those who first visited this coast. In the public 
schools before mentioned, the Bible is the text book, and 
though little pains have been bestowed to instruct the 
pupils in its meaning, they comprehend and retain many 
of its precepts, which, through the blessing of God, will, 
with time and culture, greatly fructify in this long neg- 
lected soil. Several young men, convinced by what 
they read, that they had a soul to be saved or lost, and 
being unable to gain any information from the nominal 
Christians aroand them, were in the habit of retiring to 
a solitary spot, on the shores of a small lake, there to 
read and meditate upon the wonderful things contained 
in that book. Their feelings, as the plan of salvation 
gradually unfolded itself to their view, can only be un- 
derstood by those who have experienced similar sensa- 



150 HISTORY OF 

tions. But though shut out from the Christian world, 
and surrounded by those who knew not, and cared not 
for the name of Jesus, their Heavenly Father was not 
unmindful of his little flock in the wilderness. Just 
when most needed, a missionary, bearing the glad tidings 
of salvation, made his appearance among them. 

"No sooner was his purpose known, than he was sur- 
rounded by anxious inquirers, eager to receive the words 
of life as they fell from his lips. He had not, as is usual 
with missionaries, to endure severe trials of faith, or to 
wait long for the first fruits of his labors. Numbers 
pressed forward as candidates for baptism, and since then 
six or seven hundred have been received. But as intel- 
lectual belief is all that is required by the missionaries 
previous to administering that ordinance, it is impossible 
to speak with certainty as to the amount of good done, 
though, without doubt, it is considerable. 

"At this time there are on the gold coast, but two 
European missionaries. One, a Dane, lives forty or fifty 
miles inland from the British Accra, believing that he 
enjoys better health there than on the coast; the other 
(Mr. Freeman) an English Wesleyan Methodist, who re- 
sides at Cape Coast Castle. From him I learned that the 
^Yesleyans had, by means of native assistants, occupied 
most of the important villages between Cape Coast and 
British Accra, and expected to extend their operations as 
far as Coomasse, the capital of the Ashantee empire, 
whence he then had very lately returned. His reception 
by its bloodthirsty and despotic prince, was decidedly fa- 
vorable, despite of an active opposition on the part of 
some Mohammedan moolahs, who were anxious to in- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 151 

troduce the doctrines of their own faith. During his stay- 
in the metropolis, twenty-five or thirty human victims 
were sacrificed, to attend in the next world on the king's 
brother, who died of fatigue, encountered during an ex- 
hibition gotten up in honor of the arrival of a European. 
The Wesleyans do not propose to extend their operations 
further eastward than Cape Coast. Thus will Elmira 
and the Fort villages eastward of it be left destitute unless 
occupied, as Mr. Freeman is desirous they should be, by- 
American missionaries. They do not, however, present 
the same advantages for missionary labor as the country 
lying on the east side of Cape Coast ; for there are no 
schools save at Elmira, and. there Dutch is only taught, 
which would avail little towards smoothing the way of 
an American. 

"But with these drawbacks, the Fort villages present 
some points of advantage, only to be found where the 
European authority is acknowledged. Among these, 
may be reckoned the disposition, now almost universal 
among the natives, to adopt the form, at least, of Chris- 
tianity, and to procure for their children, the advantages 
of a good education. We may add to these facilities the 
entire security of the missionary and his family from 
lawless violence, and the ease with which subsistence 
may be procured. A missionary at Elmira might rent 
a comfortable house at a reasonable rate, and having 
brought with him a moderate supply of necessaries, 
might, before fever came on, surround himself with 
most of the comforts and conveniences of life. At the 
Forts, still further westward, he would find fewer con- 
veniences. Elmira is, by far, the most populous of the 



152 HISTORY OP 

settlements on the gold coast, unless we consider the 
three Accras as one, but it is not accounted the most 
healthful ; nor is it certain how far the Dutch authorities 
would regard the efforts of the Americans. Mr. Free 
man recommended Dix Cove as a point well suited fc* 
the commencement of operations. Though for almost 
two centuries the acknowledged subjects of the British 
crown, the inhabitants still retain many of their wild and 
barbarous customs, and, at this day, render homage to 
a crocodile, the tenant of a pond near the village, making 
him frequent offerings of white fowls. So completely 
tame has the animal become, that upon the cry of the 
fowl he comes fearlessly out to receive the fluttering 
victims at the hands of the devotee, and then quietly 
returns to his watery home. 

" There are, at Dix Cove, several young men pro- 
fessing Christianity, having received instruction and 
baptism at Cape Coast. When they heard that I was 
a missionary, they came forward to greet me, as one of 
whose friendship and kindness there could be no doubt. 
During the stay, we held a meeting and had much con- 
versation, but the medium through which we commu- 
nicated with each other was so imperfect that it was 
impossible to determine, with certainty, the degree of 
their religious attainments. For docility of disposition, 
however, few can surpass them. A devoted and active 
missionary might easily engage the more intelligent of 
these as teachers, and as many more as needed might 
be procured at Cape Coast, who are fully capable, un- 
der strict supervision, of giving instruction in the rudi- 
ments of education." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Mr. Minor's viait to the United States — His marriage and return to Africa — 
Efforts in the Colony — Letters. 

Mr. Minor's visit to the United States was stated in 
the " Spirit of Missions," to be " in accordance with the 
advice of his brethren, for the benefit of his health, for 
obtaining priests' orders, and for other purposes con- 
nected with the interests of the mission." 

We find no record of the time which he spent in this 
country, but cannot doubt that it was actively and use- 
fully employed. Some of it was passed in visiting his 
family and friends, who would gladly have detained him 
among them, but he was impatient to return to his work. 
To one who urged his longer stay, he writes thus : 

"Baltimore, January 22d, 1840. 
"My Dear Brother: — Yours of January 16th 
reached me last night. I feel most sincerely grateful 
for the interest you manifest in my welfare, but hope 
you will not think me wilful, when I say, I cannot 
tarry ; it is the cause of my soul. In Africa is the por- 
tion of my Master's vineyard which he has committed 
to my care. It is wasted and desolate, for there is no 
man to till it. How can I be content to tarry, lest God 

should say to me, as he said to his prophet of old, ' What 

7# 



254 HISTORYOF 

doest thou here, Elijah?' I was called to preach the 
Gospel in Africa, not to act as travelling agent in Ame- 
rica *********** 

" Farewell, your brother, 

" L. B. Minor." 

One of his kind relatives, anxious to secure for him 
such comforts as might contribute to the preservation 
of his health, offered him some important assistance, 
provided he would reserve it for his own personal bene- 
fit, and not "squander" it upon the children of his 
charge. He promised to consider the offer, and soon 
returned answer that he would rather not receive any- 
thing, on such conditions. 

On the 23rd of January, 1840, Mr. Minor was 
married to Miss Mary Stewart, of Baltimore, a commu- 
nicant of St. Peter's Church in that city. On the 
15th of February he sailed with his wife and the 
Rev. Joshua Smith, from Norfolk, and arrived at Cape 
Palmas on the fifth of April. 

During his absence, a small chapel had been erected 
near the Mission house at Mt. Vaughan, chiefly for the 
benefit of the neighboring colonists ; and of this little 
church, Mr. Minor now consented to become the Pastor. 
He assumed this charge from a sense of duty, although 
he had always felt a decided preference for a station 
more entirely among the natives ; and he would fre- 
quently say : " In order to their good, I must throw 
myself among them ; I must become as one of them ; 
they must feel, as they would say. that I am their ' God 
man.' " As long, however as his brethren deemed it 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. J55 

expedient for him to remain at Mt. Vaughan, he devoted 
all his energies to the spiritual good of the flock here 
committed to his care. He was their kind and sympa- 
thising friend and adviser in all their temporal and 
spiritual difficulties, and wherever want and suffering 
required relief, his chanties were generally scattered. 

The following appears to be one of the earliest letters 
which he wrote after his return from the United States. 

" Cape Palmas, May 23th, 1840. 

u For some weeks past we have had a minature 
specimen of the deluge, and probably such a one as is 
seldom seen, even in this region of the world. For more 
than four weeks, the rain has fallen in torrents, almost 
incessantly, keeping us close prisoners, and not unfre- 
quently coming through the roof to visit us. Yet for all 
that, we are alive and merry. Both Mr. Smith and my 
wife have passed through the ferer, the latter with as 
little suffering, probably, as any white person that ever 
visited Liberia. Either the climate has become more 
salubrious, or the mode of treatment now pursued, is far 
more judicious. At all events, the danger to be appre- 
hended by new comers is many degrees less now, than 
formerly. 

" Our mission is in a highly prosperous condition, 
and some of our pupils are prepared to become assistant 
teachers. We are confidently looking forward to the day, 
and that not very far distant, when they will be prepared 
to go forth themselves as teachers, and raise up others 
to go forth as they have done. We ourselves will con- 
tinue to exercise strict supervision over the whole, tha*,. 



156 HISTORY OF 

all things may go on ' decently and in order.' Thus 
you may readily perceive that in time, Deo Volente, the 
whole country, within our reach, will, to a greater or 
less degree, be brought under Christian influence." 

A few months later, he writes thus : 

" Cape Pal mas, September 24. 

" But crosses and inconveniences are to be classed 
among those trials with which God, in his mercy and 
love, sees fit to afflict us. It would ill become us to 
complain of trials when our comforts are every day be- 
coming greater, and are, even now, much more numerous 
than we deserve. We have lately fallen on a plan of 
operating upon the natives, which we humbly hope, by 
the Divine blessing, will eventuate in good. It is the 
endeavoring to induce a few of the more hopeful among 
them to settle near us, and thus form a small village 
under our immediate control, and from which all gree- 
grees and sassa-wood palavers are, by express stipula- 
tion, to be excluded ; nor will any working on Sunday 
be allowed. All to whom this plan has been proposed, 
have readily agreed to it. They are, to use their own 
language, 'tired of country fash,' which is not surprising, 
when we reflect that both their lives and property are 
completely at the mercy of a lawless and unprincipled 
soldiery. We propose limiting the number, at first, to 
ten families, and if the plan works well, to increase it 
gradually, as our experience may suggest. 

" There cannot be a doubt but that this branch of the 
Mission, the colonists, imperiously demands our atten- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 157 

tion ; nor can it be neglected without detriment in more 
ways than one ; yet believing myself called of God, to 
preach the Gospel to the heathen, nothing short of it 
can render me contented. The bulk of the congrega- 
tion on Sunday morning, is from the Mission — the ave- 
rage attendance from the colony at that time not exceed- 
ing twenty ; but at night, when other places of worship 
are closed, our little chapel is pretty well filled by a very 
attentive audience. Our Sunday school and Bible classes 
are, we humbly hope, doing good." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Excursion into the country. 

Under the date of February, 1841, Mr. Minor gives 
an interesting account of an excursion into the country 
" Long confinement to a single spot, and to a somewhat 
monotonous routine of duty, rendering some recreation 
necessary, I left Mt. Vaughan, accompanied by a single 
native man, Gumino, and a small native boy who took 
advantage of our protection to return to his country, and 
whom I pressed into my service to make him carry for 
me a change of raiment. So very slight were my pre- 
parations, that no one at Mt. Vaughan supposed that we 
could intend being absent more than a day or two. I 
literally followed the command of Christ to His disci- 
ples, when He sent them forth to preach, for my change 
of raiment did not include a coat, and we had nothing 
with us whatever to purchase food. This was proceed- 
ing on a new plan, and altogether an experiment, but 
the possession of anything valuable to the natives had, 
in previous tours, been the cause of so much trouble and 
vexation, that it was determined, on the present occasion, 
to proceed without anything to tempt the cupidity of the 
lawless tribes through whom we must pass, but to trust 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. J59 

entirely to their hospitality for food and shelter. In con- 
sequence of these novel arrangements, our preparations 
were on so very limited a scale, that when we disap- 
peared in the bush behind Mt. Vaughan, all expected to 
see us in a day or two ; even the missionaries knew not 
whither we should bend our steps. Even in my own 
mind, it was by no means clear where we would go, but 
this much, however, was fully determined on ; to go, 
unless forcibly stopped, farther to the north-west than 
any white man had ever gone before me, and, if prac- 
ticable, to reach the head waters of Cavalla River, and 
return to the beach by water. Our first day's journey 
lay through a region of country which has been described 
more than once ; first a level and somewhat swampy 
plain, then fine rolling uplands, watered by many 
streams running to the north-east. Three hours walk 
from Mt. Vaughan we left the Grebo territory, and en- 
tered a frontier village, belonging to a subdivision of the 
Nyambo tribe, called the Crabbo. These people are at 
war with another subdivision of the same tribe. Less 
than twenty individuals have lost their lives ; yet blood- 
less, comparatively, as has been this quarrel, it has lasted 
more than two years, and obliges both sides to keep a 
sharp look out, as not more than two or three miles in- 
tervene between their frontier towns. Lounging around 
the gate of Serare, the first town which we reached, we 
found several men armed with muskets and cutlasses. 
They rose when we approached, and saluted us politely. 
Among them, my attendant recognized the most re- 
nowned warrior in that region, having slain five men 
during the war, with his own hand. This town is, from 



150 HISTORY OF 

its situation, so exposed to the attacks of the enemy, that 
not more than half the men are allowed to go to their 
farms at once ; a very serious hindrance in some coun- 
tries, but by no means so in Africa, as the ordinary work 
of two days may easily be accomplished in one, if the 
cultivator desire it. Soraka, the chief town of the Crabbo, 
is about two hours walk from Serare, and contains, proba- 
bly, three thousand inhabitants, being one of the largest 
towns in all that region ; yet we stopped only long enough 
to salute the king, and pressed forward two hours farther, to 
Kaka, the capital of the 1'olebo country. During our 
walk, we met a boy bearing a jar of honey as a present 
to me from my friend, Krah of Bolebo, who informed me 
that his father was absent. This information annoyed 
us exceedingly, as we had not only expected to have tar- 
ried with him during our stay in his town, but to have 
him as our guide to the very country where he was gone. 
We did not, however, lack for hospitality. Jedda, king 
of Bolebo, did all in his power to make us comfortable. 
Early the next morning, we sallied forth to examine the 
surrounding country. Kaka has nothing remarkable in 
its situation. The country is undulating, of moderate 
fertility, but abounding in fine streams, which, joining 
others from the Crabbo territory, form a river of some 
magnitude, which, after precipitating itself over rocks 
some twenty feet high, enters the sea at Fishtown, 
twelve miles from Cape Palmas. Its width, at the 
mouth, is probably fifty yards. This town, though it 
holds a kind of prominence over the others, does not con- 
tain more than a thousand souls. The Bolebo is proba- 
bly the smallest of all the subdivision of the Nyambo. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 151 

" The day after my arrival, I walked forth to enjoy 
the fresh air and to visit a small town about half a mile 
distant, on the top of a conical hill. The situation was 
very airy and pleasant, affording - an extensive view of 
the surrounding country. The village was very small, 
not containing more than twenty huts, but the head 
man entertained us hospitably, with the best that the 
country afforded. Hearing that Saro, the capital of the 
Plebo country, was not more than two hours distant, I 
expressed a wish to visit it, which did not, however, 
meet with the approbation of the king and head-man of 
the town, who feared lest the honor of a visit from a 
white man should be divided with their neighbors ; but 
finding me bent upon it, they at length gave me a guide. 
Our road, which was little else than a foot path, led 
toward the north-east, over a large creek, which we 
crossed with difficulty, and, in about an hour, reached 
two small villages, situated on opposite hills not more 
than three hundred yards apart, one belonging to the 
Bolebo, the other to the Plebo ; a rather awkward situ- 
ation for both, in case of war between those tribes. The 
country became more and more healthy as we proceeded, 
until we reached Saro. Wa, the king, a portly old man, 
did not, at first, receive us very cordially, complaining- 
that although he was a man of distinction, I had brought 
him nothing. He was, however, graciously pleased to 
accept our excuse, that every town would have wished 
to stop us, had we any thing valuable in our possession, 
and we should never have seen his face. He kindly of- 
fered to prepare food for us, which being declined, he in- 
sisted on our* accepting a goat as a present. This we 



1(32 HISTORY OF 

could not refuse, but, left it in his hands, to be brought to 
Mt. Vaughan at some future time. 

" The threatening aspect of the clouds induced us to 
return to Ka, before we had time to admire, sufficiently, 
the romantically beautiful situation of Saro. In the 
evening I communicated to Ledda my wish to visit 
the Krebbo country. Though he had been aware of my 
wishes on the subject for several weeks, he now thought 
proper to express great astonishment, and endeavored to 
deter me, by setting forth the dangers of the way, and 
the ferocious character of the people. I was too well versed 
in African diplomacy, to put any manner of faith in the 
representations of my friend Tedda, though we knew that 
the Krebbo were reputed cannibals. Finding that we 
were not to be dissuaded, he at length consented to give 
us guides, which was all we wanted. After dark, I 
preached to the men of the town, who did not, however, 
seem much interested in my remarks. 

"The next morning the king again endeavored to 
stop me, by refusing guides, on the plea that there was 
war in the direction in which I wished to go, and who- 
ever went with me, might get into trouble. This I well 
knew was false, and I told him so; but to no purpose. 
Indignant at so flagrant a breach of faith, I immediately 
issued orders to prepare for our return home. Just as my 
bag, umbrella and stick were brought out of the hut, the 
unprincipled old king, who had walked ofT in high dud- 
geon, returned, and learning the state of affairs, at once 
gave his consent. Forthwith, two young men, unmind- 
ful of the dangers of the way, which a moment before 
were so formidable, offered their services as guides, and 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. I53 

in five minutes we left the village and struck a bush 
path leading in a northwest direction. The country was 
covered with a low bush, which became higher and more 
entangled as we advanced. The vines and boughs pro- 
jecting over the path, hung down in our faces, while the 
high grass, which completely concealed the road, obliged 
us to wade as though walking through snow. Under 
such circumstances, travelling could not be otherwise 
than laborious in the extreme. No one appeared to have 
made use of the path before us, except an unlucky wight 
whom we met leading a refractory cow and calf, and 
who informed us that he had passed the preceding 
night in the forest. The truth of this was afterwards 
confirmed to us, though we are still unable to guess by 
what means he managed to protect himself and his cow 
from the wild beasts. 

" About eight o'clock, we entered a majestic, but 
gloomy forest, which, to all appearance, had never, since 
creation, yielded to the hand of man. Here were no 
overhanging boughs and no grass, but the path, if path 
it could be called, was impeded by the bodies of enor- 
mous trees, which lay across it. To one who has never 
visited the tropics, it would be in vain to attempt to give 
an adequate idea of the African forests ; so enormous are 
the trees ; so impervious is the shade. The atmosphere, 
in these forests, is very close, causing the traveller to 
perspire profusely, and of course inducing intense thirst. 
Frequently during the day, we crossed flue, bold streams, 
as clear as chrystal, tumbling over the rocks, or rushing 
over beds of gravel. Sorely was I tempted to stoop 
and quaff the delicious draught, but dire experience had 



164 HISTORY OF 

taught me the impropriety of such a course. The strict- 
est temperance, in both eating and drinking, is neces- 
sary, if we expect to escape those terrible diseases to 
which African travellers are so liable, and which have 
so often thwarted the best planned expeditions. 

" We had no time-piece with us, and, of course, could 
not speak accurately as to the time consumed in crossing 
this gloomy forest, save that, although we moved at a 
rapid rate, many a long hour elapsed ere we reached 
its northern boundary. Winding our way through the 
long grass of a deserted rice field, we reached the top of 
a lofty hill. Here a scene of surpassing beauty was pre- 
sented to our view. An immense valley, hemmed in on 
either side by conical hills, clothed with luxuriant vege- 
tation, lay at our feet. The sun, now rapidly declining 
in the heavens, lent additional splendor to the land- 
scape. 

" But my thoughts were far otherwise engaged than 
in admiring the view. In that beautiful valley dwelt 
the Krebbo, and all the tales which I had heard of their 
cruelty and cannabalism, now rushed on my mind, and 
awakened impressions far from pleasant ; but there was 
no retreat. We advanced, and in a few moments were 
in their farms and among the dreaded race. Instead, 
however, of ferocious savages, we saw a people more 
mild and gentle than those whom we had just left. 
Learning that the headman of the next village was on 
a neighboring farm, we sent for him. After some delay, 
a withered looking little old man made his appearance^ 
who, we were informed, was the most renowned of the 
Krebbo ; but whether this renown had been gained by 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 165 

deeds of valor, or was merely consequent upon the pos- 
session of wealth, did not appear ; probably, the latter. 
I stated, in few words the object of my visit, letting him 
know, at the same time, that I had brought no valua- 
bles with me. He expressed himself pleased to see me, 
and invited me to stay at his town ; but we were after- 
wards informed that he vented his displeasure in no 
very measured terms, feeling himself deeply aggrieved 
that I should visit him and not bring the wherewithal 
to pay for my entertaintment. My experience had 
taught me that a white man and his money were con- 
sidered, in Africa, as fair game, and that his trouble 
would frequently be in proportion to the amount of his 
possessions. On this account, I had ventured on the 
somewhat hazardous experiment of going without any 
money at all. Under such circumstances, robbery was 
impossible; for, to an African, brown linen jackets and 
trowsers are of small value ; nor would there be the 
same inducement to impede my progress from one tribe 
to another, inasmuch as they would gain nothing by 
detaining me, and even a cannibal would turn, with 
despair, from a carcass so attenuated as mine. After 
some delay, the old man sent me something to eat. 

" The next day being the Sabbath, of course we did 
not travel, and not wishing to trespass too much on the 
hospitality of my host, I declined receiving any thing but 
rice ; an arrangement far from agreeable to my atten- 
dants. My hut was thronged by the towns people, who 
came to gaze upon the white man. Among the rest 
was my host, who, watching his opportunity when the 
hut was nearly vacant, asked me whether I could read 



156 HISTORY OF 

a book ? I replied by requesting to see it, when, shut- 
ting the door, he drew forth, from the bottom of a chest, 
a volume carefully wrapped in grass, which, on exami- 
nation, I found to be a Bible, published by the ' Society 
for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge.' By his own 
account, he had received it from a man on the coast in 
return for ivory, probably under the impression that, it 
was a most potent greegree. He objected to lending 
me the book, lest his people should become aware of its 
being in his possession, but consented, on being reminded 
that every one seeing it in my hands would suppose it to 
be mine. There was no writing in the book whereby to 
infer its history with any certainty. In all probability it 
was given by some well meaning, though misjudging 
person, in Sierra Leone, to a Krooman, who used it to 
impose on the credulity of this old man. Meeting with 
it where I did, was like unexpectedly welcoming an old 
friend. 

"The greater part of the day was occupied in con- 
versing with them on religious matters, and, in the eve- 
ning I preached to as many as would come to hear me." 



CHAPTER XX. 

Results of this journey— Visit to Taboo — Moving a native house. 

This paper is evidently left unfinished, and we have no 
account of his homeward journey, but Mrs. Minor writes : 
" Up£ii his return, such was the exposure and fatigue to 
which he had been subjected, that when he suddenly en- 
tered the room, all drenched with rain, I rose to bid the 
stranger welcome, for I knew him not. It was easily 
seen that his visit had made an impression upon the na- 
tives, and that the being who had thus visited their coun- 
try and home, was an object of interest to them ; for 
they nocked to Mt. Vaughan to inquire for ' Minor,' as they 
called him — 'that white man who one time came to their 
country and talked God-palaver to them,' bringing him 
presents, and inviting him to come again. Upon these oc- 
casions, Mr. Minor generally carried a gun, for sport, rather 
than as a weapon. He could out-walk any native man he 
ever met with, as they freely acknowledged themselves, 
saying, ' Minor pass native man too much, that time he 
go in the bush.' His love for his brother missionaries 
was strong, even unto death, and, in all cases of peril 
and danger, his language was — ' here I am, send me. 
My life is immortal till my work is done.' His moral 



158 Tl I STORY OF 

or Christian courage, his most prominent trait of charac- 
ter, caused the natives to say : ' True, Minor be God-man, 
but he be war-man too, that time he shoot at monkey or 
bird, he never miss his mark, it be sure to fall.' In all 
cases where conscience was not involved, he adopted the 
fashions and customs of the people, partaking of their 
food when hospitably offered him. He loved Africa as 
his adopted home, and the novel and exciting life which 
he was obliged to lead among the natives. Upon one 
occasion, at the house of the Rev. Mr. Wilson, it was 
playfully said to him, 'as for you, Mr. Minor, you should 
be sent back to labor in America, you would then feel 
what self-denial is.' ' True enough,' said he, ' it is even 
so.' His interest in some Indian tribes when in the 
"West, before going to Africa, prepared him, no doubt, in 
some degree, for his mission." 

It was in the autumn of 1841, that the missionary 
brethren resolved upon opening a station without the 
bounds of the Maryland Colony. To Mr. Minor the 
way now seemed opened for the fulfilment of his long 
cherished desire to devote himself entirely to the natives, 
and he volunteered his services for an exploring expedi- 
tion. We will give the result in his own words. 

" The inhabitants of that region, Taboo, who call 
themselves Plabo, had more than once expressed to Dr. 
Savage, during several visits to that place, a strong 
desire for a school, and the opening appearing favorable 
and opportune, the brethren advised that I should visit 
and examine the spot. They yielded with little diffi- 
culty, promising to give up to us a hill back of the town, 
occupied as a burying place. They agreed, moreover, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. J59 

to clear it of bush, and erect for us a native house, where 
we might live whilst building a more permanent one 
for ourselves. All this was to be entirely gratis. During 
the parley, almost the whole assembly visited the top 
of the hill ; with the exception of a small part, it was 
densely covered with trees, interwoven from top to bot- 
tom with vines of every size and shape, forming one 
mass of verdure. The king made a speech on the oc- 
casion, to the dead, addressed more particularly to the 
body of some great man which lay on an elevated plat- 
form. He begged him not to regard what they were 
about to do as an insult, as the ground was not for 
themselves, but for God and a white man who was 
coming to reside in their country ; a thing he and 
his fathers had desired greatly, but had not seen. A 
neighboring town, actuated by jealousy, offered some op- 
position, which was speedily overruled. I returned home 
without giving them a decided answer, but promised 
they should hear from us shortly. 

" My report coinciding with Dr. Savage's, as re- 
garded the eligibility of the spot, the brethren instructed 
me to take ste:ps immediately for opening a station 
there. A messenger was dispatched to inform the 
people, and direct them to clear the ground and erect 
the house as soon as possible, which they promised to 
do, and send us Word when completed. A month 
elapsed, and we hearing nothing from them, dispatched 
another messenger, to see what was the matter. In 
due time he returned and reported, that not a stick had 
been touched, the people giving as an excuse, that they 
were afraid the white man was only playing with them ; 



170 HISTORY OF 

however, being assured by our messenger, they turned 
out in a body, and cleared off a considerable space, 
promising to erect the house forthwith. Not feeling 
satisfied, I deemed it advisable to go in person, and 
found them preparing to remove a house, from the town 
to the hill we were to occupy. A spot of ground had 
been cleared, it is true, but the top of the hill and the 
burying ground remained as they were. Demanding 
why they had not fulfilled their promises, they declared 
they were afraid, particularly of the man on the elevated 
platform, who, when living, was remarkable for his vin- 
dictive character, and they doubted not he retained the 
same disposition still. They at length agreed, however, 
that if I would take the responsibility on my own shoul- 
ders of cutting the first bush, they would follow suit. To 
this agreement there was no objection, so grasping a 
cullup, without more adieu, I laid about me manfully, 
and to do them justice, they were not slow to follow. In 
the course of three hours, a considerable space was 
cleared, and the king proposed they should go for the 
house : it was acceded to, and after taking some re- 
freshment, the whole body adjourned to a small town 
where stood the house to be removed. Their plan was 
to remove the house-top, entire, which was nearly equiva- 
lent to the whole house, and had they done so, they 
would have saved themselves much trouble. Halt the 
number present might have carried it with ease, had 
they worked to advantage ; but there was no order, 
none to command, or rather all commanded ; a few 
wouLl exhaust their strength in vain efforts, while others 
stood by, utterly regardless of their clamorous cries foi 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 171 

assistance. At last it started, and went on very well, 
until reaching a slight ascent, some difficulty occurred ; 
each ran to save himself, regardless of his neighbor — 
several were caught under it, as in a trap, but fortunately 
only one was injured ; three times was the same scene 
repeated, and each time some were more or less injured. 
The difficulties arose from their utter lack of faith in 
each other, each one being under the constant appre- 
hension that his companions would run away and leave 
him to be crushed. After many vexatious delays, the 
house was almost completed, and I was given to under- 
stand that payment was expected, though in the first 
instance, there had been a distinct understanding to the 
contrary. I had been too long acquainted with the Af- 
rican mode of transacting business to be easily surprised, 
but the enormity of the demand was certainly far beyond 
anything that previous experience would have led me to 
expect. It was of course met by a prompt refusal. This 
was but one attempt to defraud me ; in all our transac- 
tions they exhibited the same want of faith, as a most 
prominent trait. There was not one among the negocia- 
tors who hesitated to tell the most barefaced falsehood, 
if thereby he could obtain the slightest advantage, and 
in no one case, did they manifest a disposition to act 
fairly/' 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Notes descriptive of his mode oflife at Taboo, addressed by Mr Minor to his 
wife. 

From the commencement of this undertaking, Mr. Minor 
spent most of his time at Taboo, living in a native hut 
and in native style, and only visiting Mt. Vaughan once 
a month, to attend the business meetings of the mis- 
sionaries. His journeys were generally made on foot, 
and it is believed that these exertions, as well as the de- 
privations and fatigue incident to the opening of his new 
station, tended greatly to undermine his health. A 
graphic picture of his mode of life at this time, is fur- 
nished in the notes which he addressed to Mrs. Minor, 
who still remained at Mt. Vaughan during these inter- 
vals of absence. They tell such an unvarnished tale of 
the discomforts and trials of actual missionary life, that 
we believe they will be useful in dispelling the romantic 
associations too often thrown around this work ; and 
they cannot fail to be interesting, as presenting a faithful 
view of the spirit in which their discomforts and trials 
were met by the writer. 

Many of them are without date, and the extracts 
can, therefore, be arranged only by conjecture. The fol- 
lowing was written at Rockbookah, a few miles below 
Cavalla : 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. I73 

"My dear Mary, — We are safe thus far on our 
way, thank God ! When we reached the landing, at 
Sheppard's Lake, the canoe was gone, and the natives 
say H. Harmon took it ; so we waded the lake, and 

walked the beach with our heavy load. is 

low spirited : most of the boys are away. Brother Ap- 
pleby is going to Taboo with me. 

" Good-bye, my dear Mary. God watch over and 
keep you." 

" Taboo, , — . 



"Though my messenger will not go farther than 
Cavalla, I cannot forbear dropping you a line, to say 
how much I miss you. I have been the greater part 
of to-day, looking out for timber, which is plentiful, but 
not of the kind I want. 

" I shot two pigeons and one monkey, which we 
will eat, now you are not here. The king has just ex- 
pressed a hope that you will come soon, that he may 
fall heir to all the monkeys I kill. Take care of your- 
self, my dear wife." 

"Taboo, October 12th, 1841. 
" My Dear Wife : — I have determined to send a 
messenger to Mr. Appleby to-morrow, for a grindstone, 
and, of course, could not let him go without a note to 
you. We have commenced house-keeping in grand 
style. I eat what I can get, chickens, crabs, monkeys, 
hawks, and kill crows for the boys. I have enclosed 
and dug up a spot of ground for a garden — the nucleus 
of a larger one, I hope. There are now planted in it 



174 HISTORY OF 

potatoes, tomatoes, oranges, ginger, &c. The tomatoes 
and potatoes will live, I hope. Brother Appleby is here 
with me, and we make our own bread, which is sour, 
by-the-bye. Things get on tolerably well with me. * The 
dysentery has reached us at last. Take care of yourself, 
my dear wife, and pray for your husband. 

" L. B. Minor." 

"Brother Appleby leaves me to-morrow; I should 
be glad if he would stay longer, but he cannot. The 
dysentery is spreading ; the people of the town are en- 
gaged, to-day, in ' making fetish,' to keep it off. The 
king has ' dashed ' Brother Appleby a kid, which we 
will eat to-day. T wish you could have a part. Send 
me bread whenever you can, it is better for me, just 
now, than rice. A ship passed to-day, and took off 
some of my men. J. Stone is quite at home, and rather 
too fond of going to town, which, however, I have for- 
bidden." 

"Taboo, October 13th. 

" Though I have commenced house-keeping and sit at 
my own table every day, yet my situation is very far from 
being comfortable. From morning until night, my hut 
is filled with natives of every age, jabbering incessantly. 
Could the time be employed in religious conversation, I 
would not object, but this is seldom within my power. 
There is one indefatigable student among them, how- 
ever. He learned all his letters last Sunday, and is 
now spelling, 

" My operations are going on tolerably well. Quite 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. ^5 

a large spot of ground has been cleared, and I am now 
preparing to run a partition across my hut, where I may 
enjoy a little privacy — a luxury I can have at no time, 
under present circumstances." 

"Taboo, November 7th, 1841. 

'•' I had expected to despatch a messenger this morn- 
ing to Cavalla, and, possibly, to Mt. Vaughan, but have 
been disappointed in consequence of the people having 
obtained a turtle ; and, of course, none are willing to be 
absent from the feast. The major part are keeping 
holiday, or, as they term it, ' Sunday,' in honor of the 
occasion. # # =fc #^##^* 

"The bread is not yet exhausted and keeps well. I 
only wish that I had more — it is a great help. 

" Congregation, yesterday, good — all could not get 
into the house. Preaching next Sunday in the open 
air, weather permitting." 

" Taboo, November — , 1841. 

"Last Monday night I was bitten by a centipede. 
It gave me a good deal of pain, but the immediate ap- 
plication of remedies brought relief. I am now, thank 
God, quite recovered. 

" My house is still much thronged by natives, other- 
wise, I might be tolerably comfortable." 

" Taboo, November 24th, 1841. 
" Though there is, at present, no opportunity of 
sending a letter, I have seated myself at the table to 
write, in order to have a long letter ready, when one 



27(5 HISTORY OF 

does occur. There is little of interest to relate. Most 
of the people are, at this moment, stupid with palm 
wine, and Peter is lying in my back room, dead drunk ; 
brought home, in that state, by John, a few moments 
since. A native man is now seated in my house 
making baskets, after our fashion, under my direc- 
tion. He has nearly completed two. The second, 
quite large and handsome. One, the first, is made for 
the Doctor — the second, and largest, is for you. I have 
been much troubled with nervous depression since I left 
you the last time. My poor mother suffers from it 
much, and mine, probably, will be a similar lot. The 
notes and papers were received last nighc and carefully- 
perused, not excepting the ' Luminary.' " 

" December 15th, 1841. 

" Jackson goes up to-morrow, and takes one of my 
sick men with him ; the other is too weak yet to walk 
so far. My own health is not good. I have been much 
harrassed getting timber out of the bush, and not half 
is out yet. I have no tea or coffee, and little else be- 
sides palm oil and rice to eat. I have not time to go 
out with my gun. The carpenters, I presume, buy 
the fowls ; I have only bought two since I came down. 
The boys are well, but do not learn, for I have no time 
to teach them I hope you are better off for something 
to eat than I am ; but do not suppose that I lay this to 
heart. To-morrow I will try to shoot something. 

" Good bye, my dearest Mary." 

11 Hardy goes up to-morrow, which leaves me with- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. yil 

out a carpenter. The timber for the house is almost all 
out of the bush. My health, thank God ! is pretty good 
just now, but my living, very poor. Had the carpenters 
remained, I did not expect to have been with you until 
Christmas-eve, but as they will not stay, I shall have 
nothing to detain me so long; though I cannot say, just 
now, what day I shall be up ; but this is certain, that it 
will be as soon as consistent with duty. J. Stone will 
go up with Hardy, in order that he may be present at 
Communion. Try to help him to be ready." 

" Clouds! Two carpenters sick, and another gone 
home. The natives had a palaver among themselves, 
and say they are afraid to go into the bush to work, and 
I, myself, am not well. Great exertion will be neces- 
sary, on my part, to keep them from coming to a dead 
stand. Jackson had stopped for want of timber. If you 
can spare it well, send some tea and coffee. Ask the 
Doctor to send some more cough medicine, as my cold 
still holds on. I shall have no dinner to-day, in order to 
let my cook go after timber. I met with no hindrance 
on the beach, but on the contrary, the kindest treatment. 
I know not why my faith should be so weak, I have had 
many mercies. If I only could get some Irish potatoes, 
I might get on tolerably well. Let the bearer have thirty- 
six small blue-edged plates." 

Such requests as this often occur in these notes. It 
was in such articles, crockery, handkerchiefs, tobacco, 
&c, that the workmen were paid, and it was, at this 
time, considered unsafe to keep many goods on hand, lest 
the natives should be excited to plunder. 
8*" 



178 HISTORY OF 

In one of his notes about this time occurs the follow* 
ing passage, illustrative of the superstitious character of 
the people, and their belief in the influence of departed 
spirits. He writes, " The dysentery does not appear 
quite so rife as it was. Thank God for it ! as otherwise, 
they might have attributed it to my clearing up the 
burying ground." 

" Dearest Mary, — Your note was received last 
night. When I know you are well and happy, I am 
content to remain here ; but it is a very different thing 
when you are not well. I then do nothing but think of 
your lonely condition. ****** * 

11 I look upon your coming here just now as utterly 
out of the question. By the help of God, I will not turn 
from toil or danger myself, but subjecting you to it 
is another matter. I cannot and will not do it. 

" My garden is nearly enclosed with a fence that will 
be good when we are dead. God bless you ! 

" Your affectionate husband, 

" L. B. Minor." 

The following appears to have been written after 
his return from one of his monthly journeys to Mt. 
Vaughan : 

" Taboo, March 20th. 1842. 

" I am here safe, though I had some trouble on the 

way. The people at the C a valla River would not 

let me have a canoe without paying a most exorbitant 

sum ; so I had to retrace my weary way along the hot 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 279 

and heavy sand-beach to Brother Smith's, where, with 
some difficulty and considerable expense, I got a canoe, 
which took me by sea to Rockbookah. It was a small 
canoe, and somewhat broken, so that I got very wet ; 
indeed, sat in the water. My clothes and bread were 
wetted with salt water. I arrived here at midnight, 
much fatigued." 

" Taboo, August 9th, 1842. 

11 Dearest Mary, — Your note has just reached me, 
and was opened with a trembling hand, fearing greatly 
it might be the messenger of evil, though I was some- 
what relieved by seeing your hand-writing on the back. 

" I am painfully anxious about you, more so than 
becomes a Christian, but can only pray for you. "We 
cannot hope to be long here. God grant we may be 
ready when our Father sends for us ! 

" I do not think the prospect so bright as when I 
left here, but have hope. Since writing to you last, 
several have offered to work, but all must leave when 
their rice is ripe. They have been employed in clearing 
away around the house, and working the garden. We 
are sadly off for plates, mugs, &c. — indeed, for almost 
everything. I hear the Doctor will be down — if so, tell 
him that for his own good, he had better come prepared 
with bread, butter, &c. I have tomatoes in abundance, 
and should have had potatoes if the cows and goats 
would have permitted me. John wants some small 
needles and patches. 

•' Much love to Mr. and Mrs. Payne." 



180 HISTORY OF 

" September 4th, 1842. 

" Your note, received last Saturday, removed a load 
from my breast. I was apprehensive that some evil 
might come to you from the palaver, but had not suffi- 
cient ground on which to act — a state of suspense more 
painful than I can well describe. This constant separa- 
tion from you, I cannot bear. I was joined to you for 
better and for worse ; and certainly, as you are now, 
you might as well have no husband. If you were in 
America, and among your friends, it would be another 
matter, but here, in this country of palaver and trouble, 
for you to be left without any one to supply your wants, 
or attend properly to you in sickness, and protect you in 
time of danger, will not do. Thank God ! the time of 
our reunion is near at hand, I hope ! * * * * * 
I cannot say what day I can leave ; but when I can, I 
will fly to you ' as doves to their windows.' The con- 
gregations on Sunday are larger than ever, and things 
look encouraging. May God give me grace to be faith- 
ful and zealous ! * * * * "We are about to begin 
Musu's house. I wish Jack to come down and bring my 
cow, and, if you can spare him, Elisha. 

M God bless you, my own dear Mary. 

" Yours most truly." 

Some hesitation was felt about inserting the follow- 
ing note, but the very minuteness of its details will 
assist the reader in forming a vivid conception of the 
circumstances of the writer. 

" We are here, at Taboo, without accident, thank 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. jQj 

God ! and have been very kindly received by the in- 
habitants. Gray goes up to-morrow, and is to carry 
this note ; if he returns immediately, please send by 
him, the little tea-kettle the Doctor was to let me have, 
and also fifty flints, which you will find upstairs on the 
cot. done up in brown paper. I feel rather lonely, and 
have no book but the Bible, the best I could have. 
Wrap up the flints in a" Churchman or a Recorder; it 
will do to read some odd time. I shall write to the 
Doctor : for the present, farewell !" 

Then by way of postcript he adds: "Send me a 
piece of beef, well wrapt up. Please send me a comb, 
a bottle of strained oil, and some salt, put up in a jar." 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Outrage committed by the Natives at Little Bereby.— Letter to the Hon. 
Abel P. Upshur. — Extracts from Mr. Minor's Journal. 

The above correspondence presents to us a view of the 
ordinary trials to which Mr. Minor was exposed during 
this year of toil and privation, but it makes no reference 
to the imminent peril in which he was placed by the 
circumstances detailed in the following letter. 

" To the Hon. Abel P. Upshur, Secretary to the 
TJ. S. Navy. 

" Taboo, West Africa, } 
" Lot. 4° 40. Long. 5° 20. April 25th 1842. j 

" Sir, — The subject of this letter will, I hope, suffi- 
ciently account for my boldness in addressing you, and 
occupying time, of which every moment must be pre- 
cious. Yesterday, within thirty miles of the place from 
which I now write, a bloody tragedy was enacted ; and 
as it was American blood that was spilt, wantonly and 
without provocation, real or pretended, I feel it an 
imperative duty to lay the matter before you ; the more, 
that I am the only white man near the spot, left alive 
to tell the horrid tale. The facts of the case are as 
follows. Captain Farwell, of the Schooner Mary Car- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. JQ3 

ver, Boston, was at a town east of this place, called 
Little Bereby or Half Bereby, where he had deposited 
some goods in the hands of a native called Young Cra- 
cow, for the purchase of camwood. Having occasion to 
be absent a short time, and on his return not finding the 
wood ready, he proposed that a canoe should be given 
him in part payment, to which Cracow, after some hesi- 
tation, agreed. The canoe was received in lieu of 
six hundred pounds of camwood, a large price. The 
captain, apprehending no danger, was enticed on shore, 
and while amused with a pretence of trade, his boat 
and several canoes, all loaded with camwood, were sent 
to the schooner. The mate, suspecting no harm, al- 
lowed all hands to come on board, and while engaged 
in weighing the wood, was suddenly set upon. He, one 
seaman, and the cook were the first who fell. One sea- 
man, a very old man, was thrown overboard, and the 
only remaining hand, having taken refuge in the rigging, 
was induced by fair promises, to surrender, and instantly 
butchered. At a preconcerted signal, the captain, till 
then unconscious of what had been going on, was seized, 
bound hand and foot, and cruelly beaten. The women 
struck him so severely with their rice-pestles that his 
scull was fractured just above the eye, causing it to 
protrude from the socket in a manner horrible to behold. 
He begged for time to pray. It was refused. He was 
then taken out to sea in a canoe, and thrown overboard, 
bound as he was. Still, the unhappy man struggled 
for his life with all the energy of desperation, and suc- 
ceeded in tearing, with his teeth, the cords with which 
his hands were bound, and even seized a paddle to de- 



13-1 HISTORY OP 

fend himself, but a blow on the head sent him to the 
bottom. 

"Accustomed as the natives are to blacken the 
character of those they have injured, in the present 
case, they have nothing to allege against their victim. 
They do not even pretend to have disagreed with him in 
any manner. They glory in what they have done. It 
is said that this is the fourth vessel cut off at that place, 
(I know certainly of two, one Brazilian and one Ameri- 
can,) within the last eight months. The kroomen and 
trademen, serving on board at the time, participated 
largely, both in the murders and in the plunder. 

" It would ill become me, a minister of the Gospel, 
to recommend any unnecessary effusion of blood, but 
forbearance, in the present case, would not be mercy. 
It would be evident to every one acquainted with the 
African character, that a severe example is now abso- 
lutely necessary, to secure any thing like respect and 
security to our countrymen trading on the coast. Should 
this outrage be overlooked, the effect not only there, but 
all along the coast, would be pernicious in the highest 
degree. This very morning, I saw the people of two 
towns near this place, (one of them in sight of the spot 
from which I write,) going to attack a Dutch ship at an- 
chor, the captain of which was, by their own admission, a 
kind and liberal man. Timely notice enabled the Dutch- 
man to escape; but they may yet take a bloody revenge 
on me, for the part I took in conveying the warning. 

" There is, in the minds of many in America, and more 
especially in England, an over-wrought sensibility with 
regard to the African race, which leads them to repre- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. JQ5 

hend, in the strongest manner, the infliction of any pun- 
ishment, however well deserved. Believe me sir, this 
is a mistaken kindness. My knowledge of the African 
character has not been gained among those who, having 
resided long among the whites, have adopted, in a 
greater or less degree, the views and habits of civilized 
society ; nor on shipboafd, where the power of the white 
man is undisputed, and where there is every motive to 
practise those arts of deception for which they are so 
distinguished. Under such circumstances, the more 
mischievous features of their character are rarely seen. 
My knowledge has been acquired in their villages, in 
their huts, where no motives for concealment existed, 
and where their sentiments are freely expressed ; where 
their heart, throwing aside its disguise, appears in all its 
native hideousness. I hesitate not, therefore, to assert, 
that until better motives can be supplied, nothing but 
the fear of punishment, promptly and sharply adminis- 
tered, will restrain their lawless violence ; outrage will 
follow outrage, and deriving courage from impunity, 
each case will outdo its predecessor. By severity, is not 
meant the mere burning of the town. That is nothing. 
Were Little Bereby to-day reduced to ashes, jme-tenth 
of the plunder obtained from the schooner would be suf- 
ficient to restore it to a better condition than ever. The 
course pursued at Glualla Batto affords an example of 
what might be done here, with advantage. The anchor- 
age and landing at Bereby are both good, and the town, 
being neither large nor strong, might be easily sur- 
rounded in the night, and destroyed in an hour: but 
great secrecy will be necessary in approaching the coast, 



|gg HISTORY OF 

for should the inhabitants have but an hour's notice, 
not one will be found, and news passes along the coast 
with amazing celerity. 

"Should you need more precise information with 
regard to the localities, I beg leave to refer you to Cap- 
tain R. E. Lawlin, New- York, and to Captain T. Hunt, 
Salem, Massachusetts. 

" I remain, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

" L. B. Minor, 
" Missionary qf the Episcopal Church." 

That the apprehensions expressed in this letter were 
not unfounded, is evident from a subsequent notice of 
the affair in his correspondence with the Committee. 
Under date of July 4th, he writes : "We have since 
learned, from more than one source, that part of the 
original plan was to murder me ; not that they had aught 
against me, or would gain any thing thereby, but to pre- 
vent the possibility of my giving information. Repeat- 
edly has the letter of the Dutchman been thrown in my 
teeth, and as often have I avowed that I would again 
do the same, should a like occasion offer ; yet has not our 
Heavenly Father suffered a hair of our heads to be 
harmed, nor is our peace in any way marred, for our 
trust is in Him." 

A short journal, commencing August 15th, is the 
only subsequent record from his own pen. 

" For some time past, there has been, evidently, more 
than usual readiness to hear and receive the truth of 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. |Q7 

the Gospel, but nothing decisive took place till within a 
few days past. Last Saturday I walked round, as usual, 
to give notice of the approaching Sabbath, and spoke 
pointedly to several. The next morning I was agreea- 
bly surprised to hear that all the men of the town had 
remained at home, and were coming to hear God pala- 
ver. This was good news indeed, and for it, I failed not 
to thank God fervently ; earnestly praying for grace to 
meet the occasion aright, for his glory. My discourse 
was on the importance and necessity of observing the 
Sabbath, reminding them that, in days gone by, they 
were ignorant, but that now God had sent one across 
the wide waters to teach them what was right, he cer- 
tainly would expect them to receive and obey his laws. 
After service the king and headmen remarked, that all 
that had been said was reasonable ; that no one could 
work all the time ; that God was their Father and should 
be obeyed, and many other remarks of like import. 
Every thing wore a most favorable aspect, when a 
troublesome fellow abruptly demanded why I did not do 
as the other God-men did ; and went on to say that Mr. 
Payne and the new Gud-men (Romanists,) paid people 
to keep Sunday. Gain is, at all times, the most ex- 
citing topic that can possibly be presented to the native 
mind, and did not fail of its effects on this occasion, as 
was very apparent. I, however, went on to assure them 
that they were entirely mistaken with regard to Mr. 
Payne, who had never given any thing of the kind ; and 
though the new God-men had given a hogshead of to- 
bacco for that purpose, it had been of no avail, for after 
using it, the people broke the Sabbath as much as ever ; 



± $Q HISTORY OF 

and if they kept the Sabbath for hire, it would not be 
acceptable to God, who had already given them so 
many good things; at the same time enumerating those 
most apparent. 'All those,' replied one, 'he gave us 
when we followed our old customs, which you wish us 
to give up.' ' Yes,' I replied, ' our heavenly Father is 
too kind to suffer even his disobedient children to starve, 
but this is certainly no reason why we should continue 
to disobey him.' 

" Here the interpreter, Musu, a fine young man, of 
whom I shall speak hereafter, took up the matter in an 
animated discussion, strenuously advocating my side of 
the question. A sharp conversation followed, while I 
prayed that truth might prevail. I found soon, that 
more were on my side, or rather on God's side, than 
against Him. Finally, the two first objectors said they 
were willing to keep Sunday, but wished me to do some- 
thing to please them. ' Had nothing been done?' I re- 
plied. ' Is it nothing to leave home and kindred, and 
come to teach you, without emolument, or reward ; and 
have not you received many presents at our hands, and 
have not you, R. and \Y.,' addressing the two first ob- 
jectors, 'been partakers of those presents?' One hung 
down his head, but the other, more bold, was about to 
reply, when he was silenced by the almost unanimous 
voice of those present, the king declaring that they made 
him ' ashamed.' Many were for passing a law to keep 
Sunday, on the spot; others objected, and not thinking 
them vet prepared for so bold a step, I did not urge it. 
The Kroomen who were present, remarked that at Cape 
Coast, Sierra Leone, and other places where they had 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. |g9 

been, and where white men live, the people of the coun- 
try, after awhile, left off their own ' fash,' and turned to 
do ' white man's fash ;' and gave it as their opinion, that 
such would be the case here by and by* 

" August 20tk. — To-day, while in conversation with 
Kraplo, the king, he expressed it as his firm opinion, that 
his father, who, he doubts not, is in heaven, was the 
means of influencing God to send me here to teach him 
and his people. If his representations are to be trusted, 
his father must have been an extraordinary man. Many 
of his precepts, as reported, are such as would have done 
honor to Socrates ; all unite in saying he was celebrated 
as a peacemaker. 

" August 2lst. — God has certainly blessed me in 
giving me such an interpreter as Musu, the man alluded 
to above. From the first, he attached himself to me, 
and served me with such zeal that I feared he would 
soon wear out, but so far from this being the case, his 
zeal -has increased. All who have seen him, both mis- 
sionaries and colonists, agree in saying that he differs 
from any native they have met with ; and, what is most 
remarkable, never since his connection with me, have I 
had cause to suspect him of falsehood ; and never, but 
once, of defrauding me of a pin's value, and then, he 
subsequently cleared up the whole affair to my perfect 
satisfaction. There is indeed good reason to hope that 
a work of grace is begun in his heart, he having openly 
renounced all the objectionable customs of his country, 
and when his old father, who is more disposed to engraft 
Christianity on Heathenism, than to renounce any part 
of his present creed, killed a bullock for the devil, he 



190 HISTORY OF 

would not take a morsel of it, or join in any of the cere- 
monies, though repeatedly urged to do so, and all, too, 
when I was absent. He learns with great facility, and 
we all humbly hope and pray, that he may, in time, be- 
come a messenger of peace to his heathen countrymen. 
He is about twenty-two years of age, and has but one 
wife, whom he tries hard to bring round to his views. 

" August 22d. — Congregation, yesterday, better than 
ever, though it is the height of the rice harvest. God 
enable me to address them with more than usual free- 
dom ; some women attended, and were very attentive. 

" August 29lh. — Congregation, yesterday, still larger ; 
many women, but my sermon was not attended with 
that unction from above which it should have been. 
Resolved, with the help of God, to observe every Friday 
as a day of fasting and prayer, with a special reference 
to my labors on Saturday and Sunday. 

" August 30th. — Heard to-day of a movement at 
Brother Payne's, touching the Sabbath, and also at 
Brother Appleby's, which seems likely to end in some- 
thing decidedly in favor of the observance of that holy 
day. God in mercy grant that it may be the dawn of a 
brighter day to us !" 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Mr. Minor's declining health — His lust illness and death. 

We have abundantly remarked that Mr. Minor's health 
was evidently injured by his long and laborious journies, 
and by the privations and toil encountered at Taboo, in 
the establishment of his Station. In January, 1843, he 
removed his family to their new home ; but now that he 
had attained the very position which he had so long de- 
sired, and the way seemed opened for the vigorous prose- 
cution of the work he so much loved, his friends watched, 
with anxious solicitude, the ravages of disease upon his 
already enfeebled frame. He had been, for several 
months, troubled with repeated attacks of diarrhoea, a 
disease to which he was constitutionally subject, and 
which, he had often said, would probably be the cause of 
his death. He, however, continued to preach to good 
congregations, and to attend to the other duties of the 
Station until about the middle of March, when he was 
obliged to inform the people that he was too sick to talk 
" God-palaver" to them any more, at present, but hoped 
soon to be able to resume his labors. He had already 
gained a strong hold upon their affections, and much re- 
gret was expressed for his illness. " What for," they 
would say, " God send a God-man to us, and then make 



192 HISTORY OF 

him sick? We no sabby that." They were told that 
they had not obeyed the instructions of their teacher, and 
perhaps God was punishing them for the abuse of his 
gifts, by their withdrawal. " True," they replied, " that 
be true enough — my heart tell me that be true ; 'spose 
he die, think God send another God-rnan?" 

About this time, Doctor Savage advised a sea 
voyage, but the only American captain on the coast re- 
fused to have a sick man on board his vessel, and no 
other opportunity occurred. When Mr. Minor received 
the note communicating this denial, he read it with erac 
tion, and laid it down without a word. Mrs. Minor re- 
marked, "You are disappointed." "Yes," he replied, 
" but no doubt all is for the best." 

On the 21st of April, he was so much worse, that he 
expressed his belief that he could not recover, and de- 
sired that his brethren might be informed of his situa- 
tion. He also commenced a farewell letter to his mother, 
which seems to have been abruptly terminated — proba* 
bly owing to his weakness ; but which, short as it is, 
comprehends all that her bereaved heart would most 
desire — the assurance of undying love and triumphant 
faith. 

" My dearest Mother, — The time is approaching 
when this flesh will return to the dust ; but I know 
that my Redeemer liveth. I am too weak to write to 
you, dearest mother, but I shall welcome you at the 
right hand of God." 

On the 22d, he was visited by the Rev. Mr. Smith, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 193 

&nd Dr. Savage arrived the next day. He was much 
relieved by the remedies administered, and when visited 
on the 5th of May by Mr. and Mrs. Payne, appeared de- 
cidedly better. He continued to improve until the lGth, 
when he was removed to Cavalla, where he expired on 
the 29th of May, 1843, aged 29 years. The particulars 
of his illness and death will, however, be best learned 
from an account, written at the time, by the Hev. Dr. 
•Savage. It is as fallows : 

" Mr. Minor's health had been declining for some 
months. About February, he was put upon a regular 
course of medicine, with evident benefit. I advised him 
to avail himself of the first opportunity for a voyage at 
sea. No such opportunity occurring, he gradually grew 
worse, and on the 21st of April, a severe diarrhoea su- 
pervened. In his then feeble state, nothing but danger 
could be apprehended from such an occurrence. I pro- 
ceeded immediately to his station upon being informed of 
his case, and found him dangerously sick, with a full 
conviction upon his mind that he could not recover. No 
anxiety was visible, however, respecting the result, 
but he seemed to be calm, peaceful and resigned. The 
exercises of his mind during this attack were interesting 
and gratifying to his friends* 

" Among my remedies, was opium, administered in 
large, continued doses, at short intervals. Under its in- 
fluence, he was inclined to sleep, and, at times, to stupor ; 
hence, he was much incapacitated for connected thought. 
But, awaking from sleep, he would have moments of 
clearness, and request me to pray, expressing great 
pleasure in the exercise. On one such occasion he re- 
9 



294 HISTORY OF 

marked, 'Prayer is sweet — we ought to pray more, 
"Were we more earnest for ourselves, our interpreters, 
and our people, we should be more successful. 

" He frequently expressed a sense of his unworthi- 
ness and unprofitableness, declaring the atonement of 
Christ to be the only ground of his acceptance before 
God. In the course of conversation on this point he 
said, ' Oh, Doctor, I am a sinner, a sinner saved by 
grace.' Soon after this, waking from sleep, he said, ' I 
had sweet thoughts of Christ — oh ! he is my Saviour/ 
Usually, he left it with me to suggest the points of re- 
quest in prayer, but on one occasion, he said, ' Pray that 
I may have patience/ 

" At one time, he seemed to have considerable 
anxiety about the continuance and prosperity of his sta- 
tion in case of his immediate death, and affectingly 
asked, 'Who will take my place?' I could only say, 
1 God will provide — can you not leave it to him ?' He 
did not rcler to the subject again. 

" There was a time when his case appeared to be very 
doubtful, and I informed him that the probability was de- 
cidedly against him. He proceeded, with great calm- 
ness, exhibiting much conscientiousness in so doing, to 
give directions concerning his private affairs and his 
station, expressing his desire that neither individuals nor 
the Mission should lose anything through his manage- 
ment. His request, often repeated, was, ' Let all pay- 
ments be liberally made.' His disease was peculiarly 
obstinate, and on one occasion, I informed him that if it 
did not soon yield, he must die. He replied, ' Let it be 
as God directs. I have no desire to live, but to benefit 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 195 

Others.' Soon after, his case took a favorable turn, and 
on the ninth day after my arrival, I left him in an ad- 
vanced stage of convalescence. It was decided that I 
should return in a week, to accompany him up to my 
station, where he could be immediately under my at- 
tention, and the more readily take advantage of an 
opportunity for a trip to sea. On the arrival of the ap- 
pointed time, I felt too unwell to do it, and requested 
Mr. Payne to go down for that purpose. He was ac- 
companied by Mr. Smith, who went to remain with Mrs. 
Minor till she could complete her arrangements for the 
contemplated absence. They found Mr. Minor able to 
walk about, though very feeble. They left Taboo on the 
16th of May, at two o'clock P. M., (Mr. Minor reclining 
in a travelling basket,) and arrived at Cavalla, Mr. 
Payne's station, at about ten the same evening ; a dis- 
tance of twenty-five miles. On arriving, he felt fatigued, 
and went immediately to bed. Next day, his disease 
returned. Finding it did not yield to remedies, I was 
sent for, and arrived on the 1 8th. His symptoms I 
found of the most alarming character. Under a vigor- 
ous use of remedies, they were, for a time, kept at bay, 
and through the following day his case bore a decidedly 
favorable aspect. On the third day, Saturday, a change 
for the worse took place. His nervous system was 
greatly disordered, and he would call up long absent and 
distant objects to his mind. Among the most promi- 
nent, and one upon which he delighted to dwell, was 
the image of his aged mother, for whom he had retained 
an unabated affection. 

•'At night his wife arrived in company with Mr. 



196 HISTORY OF 

Smith. He indulged freely in inquiries about persons 
and things at his station, and seemed to be a good deal 
excited. The night was one of great restlessness, and 
the next day, Sunday, he was much worse. From that 
time, no amendment was perceptible, but, on the con- 
trary, an aggravation of his symptoms and gradual pro- 
gress of disease. I now made known to him my opinion 
that he would not recover — that his end was approach- 
ing. The announcement seemed to cause no surprise. 
The calmness and peace of mind before apparent, were 
still undisturbed. I asked him again respecting his hopes 
of salvation, in view of his present nearness to eternity. 
His reply was of the same tenor. Faith in the atone- 
ment of Christ was the doctrine he had preached — that 
by which he had lived, and that upon which his soul 
rested, now that he was about to die. Previously, he 
had requested the frequent prayers of his brethren, but, 
from this time, he became absorbed in the exercise him- 
self. I asked him to remember in his supplications the 
Mission, and his associates, and myself in particular. 
He replied, in an emphatic manner, ' I have — I do.' I 
called his attention to the propriety of now making any 
additional requests that he might desire to leave. He 
repeated those he had made before, and added, ' I have 
put my house in order — I am ready to die ' — and after a 
pause, ' where I die, there let me be buried ' Desiring to 
know what his views were, at this solemn moment, of 
our operations, I said, ' what do you now say of the 
work ? Shall it go forward V He immediately replied, 
'what! the Mission ? Yes,' with strong emphasis , 'let 
it go forward more than it ever has done.' His voice, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 297 

naturally strong, had retained its force till now, in a re- 
markable degree; but getting perceptibly weaker, he 
became disinclined to more effort in speaking or moving 
than was necessary. He was evidently in close com- 
munion with God, on eternal things. On one occasion, 
he was heard to say, within himself, ' Away now with 
all worldly thoughts, all vain words ;' and audibly 
prayed for his 'mother, brothers, and sister, and her 
children, that they might be given to God and His 
Church.' Sunday night was one of great restlessness 
and trial to himself and attendants. His symptoms had 
reached their highest degree of aggravation, setting at 
defiance all remedies, requiring constant motion and 
attendance, and portending rapid dissolution. He had 
generally been free from pain, and expressed his grati- 
tude for so great a favor; but in the present stage he 
seemed to suffer greatly. When asked if it were so, 
his reply would be, 'not much,' or 'not now.' Through- 
out this last attack he had made a remarkable exhibi- 
tion of the patience of the Gospel. 

"On Monday morning it was evident that our dear 
brother was about to enter upon the scenes of eternity ; 
there was a gradual increase in the severity of his 
symptoms, and all that could be done was to attend, 
alleviate, and wait for his death. About the middle of 
the afternoon, when a prominent symptom was at its 
height, and threatened immediate extinction to the re- 
maining spark of life, he turned towards me and said, 
with an expression that cannot be described, ' Oh, Doc- 
tor, is there no relief for this V Not in my power,' I 
replied, ' and such is its nature, dear brother, you cannot 



198 HISTORY OP 

long survive — you arc now wholly in the hands of God.' 
Turning his head again, he silently and meekly laid it 
down, as it were, to die. Death was upon him. I now 
asked ii' Christ was still as near and precious as he had 
so often found him to be. 4 Oh, yes, if I know my own 
heart,' was his answer. Then, after a pause, he said 
with fervor, 'Jesus, my master, is near — he is very 
near — now he is especially gracious. 1 A few moments 
of silence ensued, be then added, ' oh, I am dying,'' try- 
ing, as it seemed, to realize the awful fact in all its mo- 
mentuousness. ' Tell mother that my Saviour is now very 
near — tell Mary' — here I mistook the precise exercise 
of his mind, and requested an attendant to call Mrs. 
Minor, who had left him for a moment. But he imme- 
diately added, 'No, don't call her — tell her note' — seem- 
ing to know that the trying moment for her had not 
arrived, though it was evidently at hand. 

" He continued two or three hours after this, and 
in prayer, as much as his symptoms would permit, 
calmly awaiting his summons into the presence of his 
God. During this period, I twice raised him up at his 
request, the better to meet his symptoms. Each time, 
he fainted, when I verily thought his spirit had taken 
its flight. The last time he was evidently expiring, 
and I held him in my arms, momentarily expecting he 
would be a corpse. He revived, however, just enough 
to say, 'lay me down.' As I did so, he turned over 
on his left side unassisted, and after a few moments, 
said audibly, distinctly, and with unceasing energy as 
he spoke, ' I am dying — farewell mother — farewell sister 
— farewell brethren of the ministrv.' He then bade 



THE ATRICAN MISSION. I99 

farewell to his wife, and added, ' farewell brethren, I 
have never regretted coming to Africa — farewell all.' 
After a short pause, he added, ' let all payments be 
liberally made ; and my boy John, see that he be 
well rewarded for what he has done for me.' He 
then ceased to speak, and, in a few moments more, 
breathed forth his spirit into the hands of Him who 
gave it. So calmly and silently did he expire, and so 
little changed in death, that I was at a loss for a time, 
to know whether he had indeed departed." 

" Thus died our first fallen Missionary I He had 
4 fought a good fight,' and had ' finished his course with 
joy.' • Tell my mother,' he said, ' that I die not only 
willingly, but joyfully.' Among his last expressions 
were the touching words of his Saviour, when like him 
commending a beloved relative to the care of a faithful 
friend. Looking upon his wife, who stood near his bed, 
he turned his eyes upon Mr. Payne, and said, • Behold 
thy sister.' 

Thou art gone home ! from that divine repose 

Never to roam ! 
Never to say farewell, to weep in vain, 
To read of change in eyes beloved, again — 

Thou art gone home S 
By the bright waters now thy lot is cast, 
Joy for thee, dear brother ! thy bark hath past 

The rough sea's foam ! 
Now the yearnings of thy soul are still'd, — 
Home, home ! thy peace is won, thy heart is fill'd, 

Thou art gone home 1" 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Letter from the Rev. J. Peterkin, illustrative of Mr. Minor's character. 

We cannot better sum up the character of this devoted 
servant of God, than in the words of an intimate friend 
and brother in the ministry, the Rev. J. Peterkin. 

" My acquaintance with Brother Minor commenced 
at the Theological Seminary of Virginia, he being in the 
class before me, as well as my senior in age. We were,, 
however, a whole year together in that institution, 
without having formed anything like an intimacy. Not 
long after my entrance into the seminary, he requested 
my assistance in his Sunday school, at Fall Church, 
but as I found employment nearer home, and felt unable 
to take so long a walk, about seven miles, I declined 
joining him. This refusal, I am sure Brother Minor did 
not like, as he had very little to say to me during the 
remainder of the session. The truth is, he had made 
several similar applications in vain, and being able and 
willing to undergo so many privations himself, he proba- 
bly did not make much allowance for the inability or 
unwillingness of weaker brethren. With all this, he 
was kind and considerate, but he seemed to regard it a. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 201 

solemn duty, both by precept and example, to urge 
those around him to works of faith and labors of love. 

11 Early in 1836, as he was then particularly in need 
of aid, I consented to accompany him to the school above 
mentioned, and immediately we were on the most inti- 
mate terms. Many an hour did he beguile, as we 
walked together by the way, in referring, either to his 
past life or his future plans. His heart was full of Af- 
rica, and in one of his earliest conversations with me, he 
expressed his determination to be a missionary there, 
but that a mother, aged and blind, and whom he tenderly 
loved, would regard such a step as an immediate and 
final separation. He himself, did not suppose that he 
could survive many years in Western Africa, and hence , 
at one time, he thought of Abyssinia as a field of labor, 
and at another time, of China. But all this was in de- 
ference to the opinion of his friends. It was his own 
conviction that it would be better to go to Western Af- 
rica, and labor for a short period, than elsewhere, with 
the probability of a more protracted life. My own be- 
lief is, that he would not have lived long anywhere, for 
though he did not despise life, he despised danger; and 
had he escaped a violent death, his impaired constitution 
could not have held out under the fatiguing labors to 
which, in any situation, he would have been subjected. 

" He has been known to plunge into a river without 
hesitation, when some difficulty occurred about his be- 
ing ferried over, and this was precisely characteristic of 
the man ; once let the course of duty be settled, and 
forward would he go, without anxiety as to the conse- 
quences. He possessed, as you are aware, great powers 
9* 



202 HISTORY OF 

of endurance, but these. I think, were in a good degree, 
the result of cultivation, rather than the product of na- 
ture. If on any occasion, when he had walked seven 
miles to his Sunday school, and had declined stopping 
with a friend to take dinner on his return, anything oc- 
curred to call him away at tea-time., lie seemed never to 
remember that his fast, since morning, remained un- 
broken ******** • • • * * * 
Whatever he did, he seemed to think that another, pos- 
sessing a willing heart, could also do ; thus he has in- 
sisted on it, when I have complained of fatigue, that if I 
would but exert myself properly, I might soon walk thirty 
miles a day and preach three times; and this he himself, 
when in health, would have considered no hardship. I 
need hardly tell you that Minor was of an eminently 
generous disposition. Anything approaching to parsi- 
mony was his aversion, and yet I have known of his 
walking from ^Yashington to Alexandria to save twelve- 
and-a-half cents, steamboat fare, when that sum was 
important to him for the purchase of tracts. In fact, he 
had an eye to everything, however small, that might 
be used for the promotion of his Master's cause. I shall 
always remember the large round box, intended mainly 
for pennies, and marked ' China Mission,' but afterwards 
altered, I think, to 'Africa,' which, during his stay at 
the Seminary, hung by the hall door of the south build- 
ing. It was a trifling matter to collect pennies, but, if I 
mistake not, the amount raised at the Seminary for mis- 
sions, during the period referred to, was unusually large. 
So also at the Sunday school of Falls Church, that the 
scholars should contribute to missions, was as well un- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 203 

derstood as that they should recite their lessons, and 
everything was done, by precept and example, to interest 
them in the good cause. I may here remark, by the 
way, that so great was Brother Minor's usefulness and 
influence at the place just referred to, that he was earn- 
estly importuned, by many of his acquaintances, to make 
it his permanent field of labor ; but, as he declared to a 
kind friend in the neighborhood, Mr. Dulany, whose hos- 
pitality both Minor and myself often experienced, he felt 
called of God to go to Africa. The path of duty seemed 
plain — a divine impulse urged him on, and hence, in Ins 
farewell address, he could, with truth, declare to a sor- 
rowing congregation, 

' I see a hand you cannot see, 
Which beckons me away ; 
I hear a voice you cannot hear, 
Which bids me not to stay.' 

" In two particulars, I think that Minor's character 
has been greatly misunderstood. He has been regarded 
as of an unsocial disposition, and, in temperament, ap- 
proaching to the stoic. The mere fact, that he was 
habitually under the influence of a grand master-passion, 
will sufficiently account for these opinions. He was dis- 
tant and reserved, at times, because his soul was absorb- 
ed in the contemplation of a subject, in which those with 
whom he held intercourse were not always interested. 
At that subject he had been looking so long and so in- 
tensely, that he could not, on every trifling occasion, 
turn his thoughts another way. It was only when his 
darling theme was made the topic of conversation that 



204 HISTORY OF 

he appeared to real advantage ; then the countenance 
became animated, and the eye was at once radiant with 
the concealed lire of the soul. 

11 .Minor was no stoic. He felt pain like other men, 
and acknowledged it, though he did not often complain. 
His heart, which many thought cold, was, in reality, 
awake to the tenderest susceptibilities of our nature ; but 
those who Looked at him only, as it were, upon the sur- 
i'.ier, were little aware of the deep and strong emotions; 
which struggled within. For the members of his own 
immediate family, including his brothers, from whom he 
had 1" parated, he ever cherished the warmest 

affection, and would, 1 am surf, have devoted his life to 
the promotion of their individual happiness, had he not 
felt called to the higher work of promoting the happi- 
ness of mankind. His love for Virginia, the land of his 
fathers, was ardent and sincere ; and the very man, who 
was thought to have no local attachments, and to prefer 
the life of a wanderer, has sat down under the trees 
which sheltered him in childhood, and wept like an in- 
fant when about to bid adieu to their shade. He left 
them, not that he loved his country less, but that he 
loved God more. 

" I have, thus far, said not a word of Mr. Minor's 
acquirements, nor am I sure that a notice of them is ex- 
pected in this hasty sketch. It may not, however, be 
amiss to remark that his attainments in almost every 
branch of science were considerable. His compositions 
wanted finish, but whatever he said or wrote was to 
the point, and consequently, he seldom said or wrote 
any thing in vain. Dr. Keith, t know, regarded him as 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 205 

a good theologian, sound, but not showy. "VYith a view 
to the missionary work, he had acquired some know- 
ledge of medicine, and in botany and geology he was 
perfectly at home. I remember once to have heard an 
intelligent gentleman, whom he had met as a stranger 
in travelling, express great admiration of his acquire- 
ments in this last department of science, and great, sur- 
prise too, that a man who had so keen a relish for 
scientific pursuits, should devote himself to the life of a 
missionary. No man, I imagine, could more fully adopt 
the words of the poet : 

'There's nothing bright above, below, 
From flowers that bloom to stars that glow, 
But in its light, my soul can see 
Some token of the Deity.' 

" Of a naturally inquiring mind, he sought an ac- 
quaintance alike with the works of nature and of art, 
and wished to know the why and taker ef ore of every 
thing. On one occasion, I heard some of the students 
laugh at him because they had gone together to witness 
a launch, and his curiosity had led him to get on board 
the vessel, he was carried to the opposite side of the 
river, and subjected to a long walk in order to return. 
1 Yes,' said he, ' you saved that trouble, but you came 
away no wiser than you went ; whereas, in case of 
need, I could now launch a vessel.' 

" I have mentioned that the productions of his pen 
wanted finish, but they were, notwithstanding, full of 
interest from their simplicity. In public speaking, there 
was evidently no effort to overwhelm or astonish, or 
even to please, yet this last effect was generally pro- 



20G WWli of 

duced. He was a great admirer of pure Saxon, and 
6ome of his missionary sermons, which were in conver- 
sational tone and in Bible style, Mere in the highest de- 
gree interesting. 

"After listening to one snch, not long before his last 
return to Africa, 1 remarked, ' Brother Minor, you read 
the Bible a great deal.' 'I am only surprised at myself,' 
replied he, ' that I read any other book.' My whole in- 
tercourse with Minor served to confirm me in an opinion 
which I have long entertained, namely, that the culti- 
vation of an enlarged missionary spirit will do more than 
any thing else towards supplying the wants of home. 
My own impression is, that before he left this country, 
Minor did more, as a lay-reader and Sunday school 
teacher, than some ministers accomplish in their whole 
lives. His regard for those around him was not the less 
ardent because he wished to do good to such as were 
afar off. I have known more than one individual reclaimed 
from habits of the grossest intemperance through his in- 
strumentality, and this, not so much by means visible to 
the public eye, as by private visiting and earnest prayer. 
An aged, grey-haired man, a professor of religion, once 
told me that he considered Brother Minor his spiritual 
father ; and I am very sure that many of his Sunday 
scholars (some of whom it is believed became hopefully 
pious,) regarded him in the same light. I may mention 
too, that this same man, whose bones now rest beyond 
the Atlantic, and whose soul was so large as to com- 
pass the world in its aspirations, negligent as he might 
be, of his own personal concerns, was the very man 
who, on a stormy day, would remember to trudge 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 2Q7 

through rain or snow to carry a morsel of bread to some 
destitute neighbor. If Robin, an aged and infirm Afri- 
can yet lives, he can testify how often, when his little 
hut was blocked up with snow, the tall thin form of our 
deceased brother would stoop to enter, bearing the Avel- 
come fragments from the Seminary table. In this case, 
most unquestionably, when the eye of the missionary 
looked abroad, it did not overlook home ; when his heart 
melted in tenderness over the miseries of the heathen, 
it was not, it could not be indifferent to the woes which 
were nigh at hand. Who joined, I might ask, with 
hearty zeal, in every plan for the diffusion of education, 
by day-schools, throughout the neighborhood ? Minor ! 
"Who was, by way of eminence, the laborious and 
untiring Sunday school teacher? Minor ! Who was 
one of the most consistent and persevering advocates 
of the temperance reform, in a vicinity where the 
benefits of that reform could not but be seen and ac- 
knowledged ? Minor ! One might have supposed these 
small matters to be beneath the notice of a man whose 
bosom swelled with designs so great ; but they were not. 
Like his Divine Master, he ' went about doing good,' 
and seized every occasion to advance the temporal and 
spiritual welfare of his fellow men." 

In compliance with his request, Mr. Minor was 
buried at Cavalla. Upon the stone which covers his 
mortal remains are inscribed his last memorable words : 
" Let the Mission go forward ; let it go forward more 
than ever." Thus did the faith which never faltered in 
life, grow yet stronger as the shadows of death gathered 



209 HISTORY OF 

around him. His work was done, and as its toils, its 
perils, and its sufferings passed in review before him, 
there was no regret for the past, no despondency for the 
future. All ! may we not believe that as those last 
words fell from his lips, some blessed vision of that future 
was vouchsafed to the departing soul — some glimpses 
of that day-spring of light and glory which was yet to 
break upon that benighted laud ? " Let the Mission go 
forward !"' Thedead Bpea^eth. The voice comes from 
the eternal world. Waft it, ye winds, that the stirring 
call may !"• caught and answered by a myriad tongues. 
" Let the Mission g<> forward," sustained by the prayers 
and by the offering? of the Church, and with Omnipo- 
tence itself pledged for its success ; let it go forward, to 
yet more glorious conquests over the powers of sin and 
darkness. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Musu's conversion — Native Lawyers — Quarrel at Taboo — Singular Custom. 

After Mr. Minor's death, the care of his Station was 
intrusted to his faithful interpreter, Musu, who con- 
tinued to discharge its duties with remarkable ability 
and diligence, until the appointment of another mission- 
ary. As this young man may be regarded as the first 
fruits of Mr. Minor's labors, we introduce here, the 
account of his conversion, related by himself. 

u When Mr. Minor first come, I go hear gospel, and 
I say, what for this man leave his fine country to come 
here ? This country no good for white man ; he be 
sick, he die ; what for he come ? This word he speak, 
must be true. So I take off my greegree, and hang him 
up. People say, ' what for you do that thing ? Bye 
and bye, greegree make bad palaver for you.' But I 
Jet gregree hang three moons ; no palaver catch me. 
Then I take greegree and hang him up in rain ; hard 
rain come, beat on greegree, and I say, ' greegree, s'pose 
you be such great thing you can take care me, you can 
take care yourself So I let him be in rain till he get 
rotten. Then I say, ' greegree no good. I no wear him 
more.' " 



210 HISTORY OF 

Soon after Mr. Minor's decease, a serious quarrel 
arose between two towns in the immediate vicinity of 
the Station, and Mr. Payne determined to visit the 
scene of conflict, with the hope of acting as mediator, 
and averting a threatened war between the conflicting 
parties. We quote the following passages from his 
journal, as affording a Lively picture of the character 
and condition of the natives. 

"Taking with mo two aged Tehlaoh, or lawyers, 
from my own place, 1 proceeded to all the parties in- 
volved in the quarrel, from town to town, to ascertain 
the real state of things. And I must observe, by the 
way, that my opinion of African native talent has been 
greatly elevated while listening, as my knowledge of 
the language enabled mi' to do. to the speeches of my 
G-rebo Lawyers, Indeed, if a knowledge of the laws, 
customs, ami usages of his people, and those with 
whom he has intercourse, the ability to apply this 
knowledge calmly, judiciously, and impartially, to settling 
matters of controversy, and the power of enforcing his 
reasonings by frequent, copious, and striking similes and 
illustrations, should entitle him to such a character, then 
I do not hesitate to pronounce Krah Leah, one of the 
men brought with me, the Grebo TehlaS,, an able 
African statesman. 

" Having gone through nearly the whole Plabo tribe, 
collecting information, and enlisting the influence of 
neutrals, we ascertained that the Nyimlepo would con- 
sent to no overtures for peace so long as their property 
was in the possession of their enemies. Accordingly, 
the first thing we did, was to demand of the Neapo, the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 211 

trade goods which they had taken from the prisoners. 
After much talking and objecting, it was, at length, 
agreed that the goods should be placed in the hands of 
the arbitrators, to be retained by them until the matter 
was finally adjusted. The obstacle having been thus 
removed, we next summoned the Nyimlepo to meet 
their adversaries, with the arbitrators, in the oldest 
Plabo town, to discuss and settle the whole matter. 
Many objections and fears were urged against doing so ; 
but, at length, a reluctant assent was obtained to meet, 
though they could not be induced to fix upon any time. 
Mr. Payne now entertained hopes of being able to 
bring the palaver to a peaceful termination, but the very 
next day, a new outrage was committed by one of the 
parties, and the affair assumed even a more threatening 
aspect than before. Several prisoners had been seized, 
and the ensuing scene is thus described : "As soon as 
information of the capture of their people reached the 
Neapo town, the air was rent with the wailings of 
the mothers, the sisters, and the wives of the captured. 
They ran through and around the town, throwing their 
limbs and bodies into every variety of wild and violent 
gesture. The town drum beat. All seized their cut- 
lasses and guns. Then, bedaubing their faces with 
black paint, sticking bunches of black, sooty feathers over 
both ears, or on the top of their head, girding around 
their loins monkey skins, and cartouch-boxes made of 
leopard skins, with long straps of the same, dangling 
down to the ground — the very personification of one's 
youthful conceptions of devils, they sallied frcm the town 
pell-mell, throwing their guns into the air and catching 



212 HISTORY OF 

them, ringing bells, blowing horns, brandishing cut- 
lasses, and calling out, 'come on! come on ! let us go 
over — let us cross at once and fight !' Their adversaries 
professed equal willingness to fight. Painting and dress- 
ing themselves in a still more hideous manner, realizing 
the worst conceptions of savage barbarity — for they are 
a peculiarly Bavage people, being the same, who, while 
Mr. Minor was bere, plotted the capture of a Dutch 
vessel lying off the river — they ran down the side of 
the river to its mouth, within a stone's throw of Neapo, 
shouting, dancing, ringing, singing, and calling out, 'yes, 
come on ! come on Kxaplo, (the headman of the Neapo,) 
yon man with a crooked neck — you rich man clothed in 
a ragged garment — you toothless man — you poor fellow, 
who since your father's death, have never been able to 
build you a house ; you who have to work your own 
farm, having no one to assist you. Yes, come on ! let 
us fight !' 

"Fearing that the prisoners might be killed, after 
dispatching a messenger to call the king of Grand Taboo, 
who had been acting with me, in trying to settle the 
controversy, I hastened across the river. To a stranger, 
all hope of saving the prisoners would have appeared 
foolish. ' Let us kill them !' ' Let us bring them and 
cut them again.' 'I will kill one.' 'I will take oiThis 
head.' Such language, accompanied with the most vio- 
lent, fiendish gestures, shouts, dancing, and singing, 
alone met the ear. The women too. were dancing and 
joining in the savage triumph. 'My heart rejoices,' 
said an old woman to me, as I entered the town. ' They 
(the Neapo.) caught five of my children, and now we 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 013 

have caught them.' Having got an interview with 

Niraa, the father oi' the town, he assured me that no 
further injury should he done to the prisoners. It was 
a sickening scene, indeed ; but it was some relief to learn 
that, amidst all the show of rash and heedless rage, the 
principle which governed the multitude was ' an eye for 
an eye, a tooth for a tooth;' those having received most 
injury amongst the prisoners, who had been most active 
in torturing their own people, when in their power. 
One man assured me that all obstacles to ' settling the 
palaver' w r ere now removed, their enemies having re- 
ceived, at their hands, the same treatment which they 
had received from them." 

" Thursday, July loth. — This morning, the deputa- 
tion from Grand Taboo, for which I sent yesterday, 
called at the Mission House for me to accompany them 
to the king's place, to demand the prisoners. I sent 
them on, how r ever v before, promising to follow myself, 
as soon as I could get off. I then called Kraplo, the 
headman of the Neapo, from whom the members of the 
family at this station have always received great kind- 
ness, and after showing him that I had done all in my 
power to avert the war, told him, that after demanding 
the prisoners, if they were refused me, I should consider 
my work done, and proceed home. He seemed con- 
vinced of the justness of my statement, and said, if I 
wished, I could now leave the matter in the hands of 
his own tribe. 

"My parting with the son of Kraplo (Musu,) was 
quite affecting. He seemed extremely reluctant to part 
with me, urging me, by every consideration which he 



214 HISTORY OP 

could devise, to remain until the 'palaver' was fully 
settled. When, at last, he saw that I was determined to 
leave, he asked me with evidently deep emotion, what 
would become of him and the station in case war actu- 
ally began? It seemed a great relief to him to learn that 
I should continue to visit him, as usual, until a teacher 
or missionary arrived. 'But,' continued he, 'when the 
mission n.ry arrives, suppose he will not consent to settle 
where there is war ; what then? I beg,' said he, ' Mr. 
Payne, if no teacher will come here, that you will send 
I canoe and take me ami my wife away. It is true, I 
believe the Gospel and want to be led by it. Since this 
palaver began, my heart has never ceased to be troubled 
oil account of it. " 

Mr. Payne returned to his station without having 
been able to accomplish his object, but the " palaver" 
was, Boon afterwards, happily adjusted without further 
bloodshed. Upon receiving intelligence that the diffi- 
culty was at an end, he repeated his visit to Taboo, 
where he had an opportunity of witnessing the follow- 
ing singular ceremony. " A living sheep was brought ; 
one or two persons from each of the contending parties, 
with sticks, now commenced beating the sheep, and con- 
tinued the operation until every bone in it was crushed, 
and ' the palaver was broken.' " 



CHAPTER XXn. 

Two new stations--Dr. Savage and Mrs. Minor return to the U. S — -Serious 
difficulty at Cavalla. 

About this time, the A. B. C. F. M., having determined 
to remove their Mission to the Gaboon River, relinquish- 
ed their two stations at Rock town and Fish town, the 
charge of which was conditionally assumed by our own 
missionaries. Native teachers were stationed at both, 
under the superintendence of the Rev. Mr. Hazlehurst. 

In August, the Rev. Dr. Savage, accompanied by 
Mrs. Minor, arrived in the United States. The object 
of his visit was the restoration of his health, and the se- 
curing, if possible, an addition to their reduced number 
of laborers. 

Hitherto, the Mission, although encompassed with 
those difficulties which are naturally attendant upon the 
work, had encountered no opposition, either political or 
religious, from the natives of the country. The preach 
ing of the Gospel had been freely tolerated, the schools 
sustained, and the persons and property of the missiona- 
ries respected. But now, a threatening crisis arrived, 
the nature of which will be best explained by extracts 
from the Rev. Mr. Payne's Journal. As it forms so im- 
portant a part of the history of the Mission, we may be 
pardoned for quoting largely from this record. 



216 1' IBTOR* Of 

" Sunday, November 12tJi, 1843. — This morning 
had scarcely any people at Church, in consequence of a 
palaver connected with my having exchanged notes 
with a British Captain, who anchored yesterday off 
this place. The circumstances of the case are these. 
The Captain, having learned yesterday from a Krooinan, 
that a foreigner resided on shore, kindly sent me some 
English papers. I acknowledged the receipt of them 
and invited the Captain to spend the next day, being 
Sunday, with me on shore. He accepted my invitation, 
and was at my house to-day at. twelve o'clock. It ap- 
pears that when he began to trade yesterday, he paid a 
particular kind of goods, much valued by the natives, to 
induce them to trade freely ; he told them, however, at 
the same time, that on the next day, he could not give 
this kind of goods, but something inferior. Accordingly, 
when the people went off this morning, the Captain (for 
he must needs trade on Sunday !) offered an inferior ar- 
ticle. Some mischievous spirits at once suggested that 
Payne's note had done the mischief. It was to no pur- 
pose that I had never interfered with their trade — that 
the price given by the Captain was less than they re- 
ceived on shore. It was too good an opportunity for the 
devil to let pass for stirring up strife, and accordingly, as 
soon as the Captain came on shore, the people began to 
persecute my interpreter, who had been guilty of the sin 
of sending off my note» He came, with three men who 
speak English, to ask me and the Captain if we had 
written anything about trade. We assured them we had 
not ; but this did not satisfy. They sought a palaver 
with poor G., and one they would make. They required 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 217 

of him to pay the value of one hundred dollars, a sum 
which scarcely any native could raise, or they would 
drive him from the country. The matter, however, was 
compromised by their taking, for Gr. steadfastly refused 
to pay anything for a lie, about the value of six dollars. 
A lie, however, as this is, the devil has made it the in- 
strument of stirring up much strife and ill feeling 
amongst the people, and causing them to ' speak all 
manner of evil against us falsely.' 

'•'Monday, November 13th. — -Knowing how com- 
mon a thing it is amongst this people to eat and devour 
one another's property without cause, particularly during 
the present season, when they have nothing else to do, I 
had hoped that the affair of the Captain would termi- 
nate with G-. But not so. I was the offending party. 
I had money — why should not I be made to pay ? — said 
the evil spirits of Cavalla. They, accordingly, went to 
work to force me to pay for their lie. And what course, 
thought they, would sooner bring me to terms than to 
break up my school ? They determined to adopt this 
course. This morning, while we were sitting at break- 
fast, without having sent any message to me on the sub- 
ject, or in any way intimating that there was any 
charge against me, a large party of men and boys, some 
armed with cutlasses, entered our yard and houses, and 
drove off every child and native, in whatever capacity, 
from our premises. We, however, offered no resistance, 
and finished our breakfast, 

" Tuesday, November \Uh. — This morning, learn- 
ing that the old men, to whom I have always looked for 
protection in difficulties, were about to leave this place 
10 



218 history on-' 

to attend a grand council of the Grcbo tribe, about to- 
convene at Cape Palmas, I sent to town, by the hands of 
my assistant teacher, a communication enumerating my 
grievances, and asking for redress. I complained, 1st. 
That strangers had been forced from my premises, con- 
trary to the custom of their own country, as well as to 
that of civilized ones. 2d. The female scholars, whose 
betrothment money had been paid by the Mission, in 
consideration of services to be rendered by youths to 
whom they were betrothed, and over whom, therefore, 
the people had no control. 3d. That all this had been 
done without ever having given me the slightest intima- 
tion of any crime alleged against me. I demanded, 
therefore, the immediate return of the girls or the money 
which had been expended on their account, and also 
payment for the outrage. At the same time, I stated 
that I was ready to go to town and talk the matter over 
with the people, as soon as the children should be re- 
turned to school. 

11 Through the influence of the old men, most of the 
girls were returned, but the people refused to allow the 
boys to come back, or to pay anything until I should go 
to town and ' talk the palaver.' This T declined doing, 
until the punishment, which had been inflicted upon me 
without a hearing, should be withdrawn. 

" Wednesday, Nov. loth. — The people were not at 
all satisfied with the stand which I had taken in regard 
to their conduct. That one man should oppose himself 
to a multitude, though their cause might be confessedly 
wrong and his right, was something that these people 
could not understand. Still less could they comprehend 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 219 

that he •would not yield. They, therefore, determined 
to adopt more extreme measures. To-night, about 8 
o'clock, the Sedibo (literally, freemen,) ran out of town, 
and in a tumultuous and threatening manner, approached 
our house and published, for this body makes laws, the 
following mandates: 1st. That none of our boys be- 
longing to the Cavalla, should come into our yard. 2d. 
That they should wear only such clothing as is worn by 
children of their age amongst their people, (in most cases 
none.) 3d. That no one, wearing clothes, should goto their 
town, and that I should not go to the chapel to preach. 
4th. That the people should not attend religious ser- 
vices. 5th. That the scholars, while in town, should 
not attend worship at G.'s house, as had been the cus- 
tom. 6th. That no one should be seen reading a 
book. 

" Thursday, November 16th. — This morning the 
books which I had sent to town for the boys to read, 
were brought home. I was informed, too, that the boys, 
who thus far had associated together, had been forbidden 
to do so ; and that they had been compelled to lay aside 
their Mission clothing for such as was given them by 
their friends, and some of them were in a state of per- 
fect nudity. My interpreter told me that at one time 
they forbade his coming to my house, but that he told 
them plainly he would come, and they desisted. I 
suppose the prohibition to our going to town, if ever 
made, was withdrawn, as nearly all our family have 
passed through it to-day. 

"It has been most gratifying to witness the man- 
ner in which our Christian boys, and, indeed, all our 



220 HISTORY OF 

scholars have received this persecution. As long as they 
were permitted to do so, they remained together, and 
whenever they dared, came secretly, at night, to see us. 
We received from them three or four notes, expressing 
their sympathy with us, and reminding us that we were 
suffering the common lot of Christians, as well as that 
of their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. As many as 
have been permitted by their parents to do so, have gone 
to other stations connected with the Mission." 

Three weeks passed without any favorable change in 
the people, and the Sedibo having forbidden any one to 
attend preaching, the Sabbath services were necessarily 
suspended. Mr. Payne again writes : 

" Tuesday, December 6th. — This afternoon the Se- 
dibo came again to our house, and took forcibly away, 
the second time, our girls, together with some boys 
from other towns and tribes, who had come to us se- 
cretly. The cause of this new outrage was the follow- 
ing : For the last six weeks, the headmen of the Grebo 
tribe have been assembled in general council at Cape 
Palmas, as before stated, to settle their difficulties with 
one another, and with the surrounding tribes. At the 
close of their conference, they determined to raise the 
price of their produce fifty per cent. They made known 
their determination to the Governor, who refused to 
give their price. They then passed laws, that all native 
children, in whatever capacity they might be, should 
be taken from the Americans ; and that no intercourse 
with them should be allowed, until their demands were 
granted. Our school girls, they said, were included. 
Their laws further declared, that nothing of any de- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 221 

scription should be sold to Americans, and all strangers 
from other tribes also, were to be prohibited from selling, 
either to us or the colony. 

"On hearing of these laws, and that it was the de- 
sign of the people to break up our school, Brother 
S?mith, who was providentially with me, and I went to 
town, and called the people together, to know the truth 
of what we had heard. "We were informed that such laws 
had been passed, and that the Cavalla people were 
determined to execute them, so far as they were con- 
cerned. We then read to them the written agreements 
into which they had entered three months ago, by which 
they had bound themselves, that in case of any contro- 
versy arising between them and the colony, in regard 
to trade, we were not to be molested, until it was set- 
tled, when we should give whatever prices they might 
agree upon. They said it was true that they had made 
such an agreement, but their doings were annulled by 
the voice of their tribe. We told them that whatever 
power their council might have over their own boys, it 
could not authorize them to drive strangers from my 
premises, and still less, to interfere with the girls, whose 
betrothment money had been paid by the Mission ; and 
warned them against any interference with them. They 
maintained that they would take all from the school. 
As I had told them, however, that I intended to visit 
Mt. Vaughan the next day, and should leave my wife 
alone, they promised nothing farther should be done until 
my return. I left them, relying upon their promise, but 
scarcely had I reached my house, before a tumultuous 
mob again entered, and dragged away all our children 



222 HISTORY OF 

except two, who had run upstairs and hid themselves 
under the bed. Fearing worse consequences, however, 
as soon as the people had gone, we sent them also, 
weeping bitterly at parting with us, to town. 

" Mr. Smith's school, at the River Cavalla station, 
was broken up yesterday, and rumor says, the one at 
Mt. Vaughan also." 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Intervention of the United States Squadron— Affecting scene. 

The condition of the Mission was now seriously alarm- 
ing. It is true that all the opposition of the natives 
was avowedly only designed to raise the price of their pro- 
duce, but there was reason to fear that this was only a 
pretence, covering other and more important objects. 
The various towns of the Grebo tribe had been united 
by their grand council under one head, King Freeman, 
and were bound to unite in any war which he might 
propose. The natives had entirely separated themselves 
from the colonists, which was considered an infallible 
sign of warlike intentions, and had included the mission- 
aries in the "palaver," notwithstanding their written 
promise to regard them as distinct parties. It was cur- 
rently reported that the natives were on the eve of a 
war with the colony, and it was almost certain that, 
in case of hostilities, the missionaries would be also 
involved. Entirely defenceless and unprotected as was 
the little band at Cavalla, it was evidently their duty 
to remove to a place of greater security. But how 
was this to be accomplished ? Mrs. Payne could not 
walk, and the natives would not carry her. It was 



224 HISTORY OF 

determined that Mr. Smith should proceed to Mt. 
Vaughan, and, with Mr. Hazlehurst, request Commodore 
Perry, then daily expected at Cape Palmas with the 
United States squadron, to send down a vessel to take 
them off. The journal continues : 

11 This afternoon, I received a note from Mr. Moore, 
our teacher at Grahway, by the hands of a colonist, in- 
forming me that the squadron was in sight, off Cape 
Palmas. We had little expectation, however, of seeing 
anything of it to-day, not imagining how any message 
could be sent to it, by our brethren at Mt. Vaughan, so 
soon. We were not a little surprised, therefore, as we 
stood upon our piazza, and were looking out, by a beau- 
tiful moonlight, upon the sea, to observe a large vessel 
moving down majestically from the windward, and 
presently come to anchor just off our house. At half- 
past ten o'clock, just as we were retiring to bed, we 
were startled by a loud rap at the front door. It was 
opened, and four Kroomen entered, in man-of-war dress, 
and delivered to me two letters, one from Mr. Hazle- 
hurst, the other, from Captain Abbott, commanding the 
United States ship Decatur. It appears that as soon 
as Mr. Hazlehurst saw the squadron approaching, he 
procured a canoe, and with two colonists.) no native 
would accompany him,) went out to the flag ship Mace- 
donian. Commodore Perry, immediately on getting in- 
formation of our situation, made signals for the Decatur, 
which had not yet come to anchor, to bear down the 
coast, and for her commander to come on board his ship. 
Captain Abbott received instructions to repair to this 
place, and to render us any assistance we might need. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 225 

As soon as he came to anchor, he addressed to me the 
letter now received by the Kroomen, couched in the 
most kind, Christian terms, and offering to come on shore 
with an armed force, early in the morning, if necessary. 
In acknowledging his kind favor, I recommended him to 
bring the armed force ; as I had heard of threats to 
detain the Kroomen who brought his letter, and also, to 
seize his boats in case they were landed. 

" Thursday, December 7 th. — This morning, at nine 
o'clock, we saw four large boats, a smaller one, and a 
canoe, coming from the Decatur, towards the shore. 
In a short time, they had landed, and the Captain sent a 
Krooman to apprise me of the fact. I immediately pro- 
ceeded to where he was, passing, on my way, through 
crowds of men, women, and children, who, with min- 
gled feelings of dread, anxiety, and indignation, pressed 
forward to behold the new exhibition of Kubi Sedibo, 
(foreign soldiers) landing on their shores. Captain 
Abbott, who had brought out to me a letter of introduc- 
tion from his pastor, the Rev. Mr. Hathaway, of Warren, 
Rhode Island, received me as a Christian friend, and we 
were escorted by a company of marines to my house. 

" After breakfast, the Captain called together the 
head-men in our school house, to talk over our diffi- 
culties. He held in his hand the deed of the mission 
lot which the people had given us, together with their 
written agreement, lately made with us, not to involve 
the Mission in ' palavers' like that professedly existing 
between them and the Colonial authorities. He remind- 
ed them of our character and object in settling amongst 
them, and how necessary it was to accomplishing this 
10* 



226 HISTORY OF 

object, that we should not be subjected to outrages like 
those which they had lately been committing upon us. 
If they were really friendly to us, let them, at once, re- 
store our scholars and repair the injury which they had 
done to us. In conclusion, he informed them that he, 
and the squadron with which he was connected, had 
been sent by their great chief, not to make war, but to 
promote peace and good- will between Africans them- 
selves, and between them and all Americans with whom 
they were connected. At the same time, if they injured 
Americans, they were at hand to protect them. This 
show of protection, I had hoped, would be sufficient to 
repress the lawless spirit at present abroad amongst 
this people, and settle our difficulties at once. I was 
disappointed. The head-men repeated the views which 
they had expressed to Mr. Smith and myself, and also 
their alleged grievances in the case of the British vessel. 
The Captain told them that they had abundant proof 
that the latter was a fabrication ; and in regard to the 
former, their Council had no right to make them do 
wrong, and that they ought to fulfil their written agree- 
ment. In other words, they should return their children 
to school, and restore the money which they had made 
my interpreter pay, unjustly, for sending off my letter to 
the British vessel. 

11 Much loud and angry talk now ensued. Some said 
they must talk the matter over in town ; others, that their 
General Council must meet ; the greater part, that they 
could not retract the position they had taken. Perceiving 
that they would yield nothing, and that, therefore, our 
longer stay amongst them would be in vain, if it did not 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 227 

place our lives in jeopardy, I requested Captain Abbott 
to take us off, with such of our effects as we could re- 
move at a short notice. We now commenced, with mourn- 
ful hearts, to leave a place endeared to us by so many 
trials and sufferings, toils and encouragements. As soon 
as a boat load of things was got ready, Captain Abbott 
embarked with them, leaving one of the lieutenants, 
with other officers, to attend to the rest. When the 
first baggage was put in the boats, there was much ex- 
citement, the people now realizing, for the first time, 
that we were really about to leave. At this time, some 
young men, who were attached to us, ran to our house 
and entreated us not to leave. We continued our pre- 
parations. In the meantime, the people seemed to be 
collecting from the surrounding small towns, with their 
guns, apprehensive, as I suppose, of an attack from the 
marines ; but no other demonstration of hostilities on 
their part, that I am aware of, was made. 

" At half-past two, P. M., we had packed up all our 
things that we could conveniently take off, and were on 
our way to the beach. Dr. Wolfley, of the Decatur, 
was walking before me, with Mrs. Payne. Immediately 
on passing through the gate, they were met by Yellow 
Will, the second man in rank to Freeman in the Grebo 
tribe, and the king of Cavalla. He entreated Mrs. Payne 
not to leave, and the Doctor not to take her away. They 
repeated the same request, with great earnestness, to 
me. Yellow Will assured me that Freeman had called 
the Grand Council to re-assemble, and that the ' palaver' 
should be ' set' the next day, at Cape Palmas. I told 
him, when I heard that everything was settled I might 



098 HISTORY OF 

think of returning. The concourse of people assembled 
on the beach as we passed along, exceeded anything I 
had ever seen. The whole population of Cavalla, about 
four thousand souls, must have been present to witness 
the strange spectacle before them. A most touching 
scene was presented just as we were embarking. G., 
my interpreter, who has remained faithful to us in all 
our difficulties, was taken ill about a week ago. He 
was much persecuted, even after he was taken sick, by 
his heathen townsmen, who M*ould taunt him, as they 
passed by his house, with such expressions as these ; 
1 He said he trusted in God, let us see what his God will 
do for him ?' ' He renounced the customs and gree- 
grees of his fathers, and what has now befallen him ?' 
Others would say, ' He is not sick, he only feigns to be, 
to save himself from palavers, or to induce Payne to 
send him good food.' These expressions were so painful 
to him, that two days ago he begged me not to visit him. 
I continued, however, to do so, or send him medicine, 
until yesterday, when my messenger returned to me 
with the information that G. could not be found. His 
near relatives had hid him, as usual, in cases of severe 
illness, for fear of witchcraft. On hearing that I was 
about to leave, however, he caused himself to be taken 
back to his house, and sent a boy to inform me of it. I 
told the messenger that I would see him before I left ; 
but so much had I to occupy my mind, that I had almost 
forgotten my promise, when, to my astonishment, I Mas 
told, about one o'clock, that he had been brought to the 
house and desired to see me. On going into the room 
where he was lying, he fixed his sunken eyes upon me, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 229 

and thus addressed me, ' Mr. Payne, have I not always 
told you that I wished to accompany you wherever you 
go, and to die in the Mission ? and now you are going 
away to leave me to die among my enemies. I know 
you are a God-man, (preacher of the Gospel) but I do 
not think i" could have treated you so.' I assured him 
how sorry I had been at the thought of leaving him, but 
had supposed that his state of health and the opposition 
of his friends would prove insuperable obstacles to his 
removal. Still, if it was his request, I would ask the 
Captain to have him taken on board the ship. He said 
it was his request. The Captain most cheerfully granted 
it, and Dr. Wolfley, on learning the circumstances, took 
a most lively interest in his case. He was placed in a 
hammock, and taken to the place of embarkation. And 
now came the mournful spectacle. Some of his most 
intimate friends and nearest male relatives pressed around 
him, and besought him, with tears, not to leave the 
country. His women wept bitterly. Two female rela- 
tives, however, of his father's family, fixed the attention 
of all spectators. The one, judging from her shrivelled 
form and tottering step, and sunken cheeks, had passed 
threescore years and ten ; the other was a middle-aged 
woman. As the hammock was lying on the ground, 
they threw themselves down, and rolling over in the 
sand, cast their arms around in wild gesticulations, ac- 
companied with the soul-rending wailing and cries 
which only heathen can make. When the boat in which 
G. was placed hauled off from the shore, they followed 
it in water up to their necks, plunging into the raging 
surf, and making all those passionate exhibitions of feel- 



230 HISTORY OF 

ing usual on accompanying a near relative to his final 
resting place. Indeed, they expected to see their relative 
no more, and there was too much reason to fear that their 
expectation was well founded. At three, P. M., we 
were all safely on board of the Decatur. The Captain 
gave us his stateroom, and made us as comfortable as 
Bea sick people could possibly be." 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Commodore Perry's parley at Cape Palmas^The squadron visits Little 
Bercby — Overtures of natives to Mr. Payne — Fidelity of Mission scholars 
— Another deputation from Cavalla — The " palaver set." 

On the following morning, the Decatur came to anchor 
off Cape Palmas, where lay also the Macedonian and 
Saratoga. The colony was in a state of great excite- 
ment and alarm, and in the course of the morning, the 
Commodore went on shore to meet the Governor and 
delegates from the various towns, with the hope of set- 
tling their difficulties. He explained the respective 
rights of the natives and colonists, and commended the 
character and design of Christian Missions. He en- 
joined upon the people the duty of living in peace, re- 
commending that they should immediately restore their 
children to the schools, and remove Mr. Payne's effects 
to Cavalla, should he wish to return after they had 
made a proper apology for their past ill-treatment. In- 
timidated by the presence of a large armed force, they 
agreed to all the Commodore's proposals, and separated ; 
but it still remained doubtful how far their promises 
were worthy of credit. The squadron sailed the next 
day for Little Bereby, and there can be no doubt that 
the punishment there inflicted for the outrage commit- 



232 HISTORY OF 

ted some months before upon the captain and crew t)f 
the Mary Carver, had great influence in preventing the 
recurrence of hostilities at Cape Palmas. 

Late in the afternoon of the same day, a delegation 
came from the Cavalla people to Mr. Payne, who thus 
writes : 

M They had been sent, they said, by their people, to 
apologise to me for the injury they had done me, with 
the promise that they would carry my things back to 
the station free of expense, and restore all my scholars 
as soon as I would return to demand them. I replied, 
that I had learned, by sad experience, to distrust all 
their promises, and that if they really wished to treat 
with me about returning to them, they must give some 
more substantial proof of their penitence for the past, and 
good intentions for the future, than mere words. In 
short, that they must pay me four bullocks, for the out- 
rage which they had committed against me. This de- 
mand was made with the concurrence of the other 
members of the Mission, as the best means of prevent- 
ing a repetition of the injury from which we now suffer. 

" Dcccmbrr 20//*. — This afternoon ten men came 
from Cavalla to bring me three bullocks, having brought 
one a few days ago, thus completing the number re- 
quired of them to 'set our palaver.' I had heard, how- 
ever, from very good authority, that these bullocks were 
taken from the family of my interpreter, as a fine upon 
him for having taken off my letter to the trading vessel, 
which, as before stated, was the innocent cause of our 
difficulties ! I told the people that I could not, there- 
fore, receive the bullocks, until I could send and ascer- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 233 

tain the truth of this report, since, if true, I could have 
nothing to do with them." 

" Friday, December 22d. — Having ascertained, in 
a satisfactory manner, that the bullocks were taken 
from my interpreter's family, and that the people threat- 
ened, moreover, in case these were returned and they 
had to pay their own, they would expel that family 
from the community, I concluded to send back the bul- 
locks this morning to the people, with the message that 
I wanted no more bullocks, but wished to remove my 
remaining things from the station." 

" Sunday, December 2£th. — I spent to-day at Mt. 
Vaughan, and Brothers Smith and Hazlehurst being too 
unwell to attend church, I officiated morning and eve- 
ning. On the latter occasion, I addressed sixty Mission 
children, collected together from its various stations. 
It was extremely gratifying to meet so many, in view 
of their having been lately scattered abroad. I felt 
great cause for gratitude and encouragement, that such 
a number of my little flock should have followed me, 
and, indeed, that all present gave such satisfactory evi- 
dence of their attachment to the Mission, as was mani- 
fested by their assembling together at this time. In 
concluding my remarks, I addressed first the Christians, 
and, after alluding to our late trials, asked them if they 
were still resolved to persevere in their Christian course. 
They all gave a hearty response in the affirmative. I 
then spoke to the children collectively, reminded them 
of the late efforts of their people to break up the schools, 
and our unchanging purpose to impart to them the 
blessings of education and religion, and appealed to 



234 HISTORY OF 

them to know if they were determined to cooperate with 
us, and if they were, to rise up. Instantly every child 
stood up ; in the great majority of cases, I doubt not, in 
obedience to the spontaneous impulses of their heart." 

" Thursday, January -l///, 1844. — To-day, another 
deputation was sent to me from Cavalla, consisting of 
one of the old men, the head of the Sedibo, and some 
others. It appears, from their statement, that the per- 
son by whom I sent back the bullocks, made the impres- 
sion upon the people that I was unwilling, under any 
circumstances, to return to them. They had been sent, 
they said, to beg me to reconsider the matter. I told 
them that I was willing to return to them as soon as 
they should manifest such a state of mind as would ren- 
der it of any use to do so. That their fining my inter- 
preter's family, on my account, to obtain bullocks to send 
me, showed that their feelings were still unkind towards 
me. But that if the Cavalla people were willing to pay 
the bullocks. I would return. This, the Mission insisted 
upon, as the only satisfactory evidence they could give 
of regret ibr maltreating me, and of their sincerity in 
begging me to return. They appeared to receive my re- 
marks in good part, and departed. 

<; Cape Palmas, January llth. — After remaining 
here for five weeks in a state of suspense as to what 
course we ought to take, there seems now a fair pros- 
pect of things being settled in such a satisfactory manner 
at Cavalla, as to justify our speedy return thither. I 
learned yesterday, from a man who has been friendly to 
us in all our difficulties there, that the people had become 
very uneasy lest they should lose me altogether, in con- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 235 

sequence of having learned that I had made a visit to 
Rock town and Fishtown, and that this induced them to 
send the last deputation. When that deputation re- 
turned, there was no objection whatever made to pay- 
ing, in the manner required. Two of the bullocks have 
been collected, and the people are only waiting to get 
two more, to bring them up and ' set the palaver.' A 
great reaction, it is said, has taken place, and the Sedibo, 
the movers of all our troubles, are everywhere de- 
nounced among the people. 

•' Now that the excitement connected with our late 
difficulties has passed away, and we are enabled to take 
a calm and dispassionate view of the circumstances at- 
tending them, much reason is seen for hoping that it will 
result in good to the cause in which we are engaged. 
The providential arrival of the squadron, just at the mo- 
ment when the natives appeared to be intent upon a 
general outbreak, not only put an end to that, but will 
prevent the recurrence of similar ones. The prompt as- 
sistance rendered my family in the hour of danger, must 
leave the impression upon the natives that the mission- 
aries may have protection when they choose to claim it, 
and prevent those acts of violence, generally the work of 
a few leading evil spirits, which make an appeal for such 
protection necessary. The fact, too. that I refuse to re- 
turn to a people who persecuted me, and put the Gospel 
away from them, until they retract their conduct, and 
give pledges that it shall not be repeated, will make the 
natives careful to restrain the lew, who would inj ure the 
country so far as to deprive it of our services. That such 
may be the happy result, and that God, in this case, 



236 HISTORY OF 

may : make the wrath of man to praise Him,' and ' in 
all things to be glorified,' is my constant prayer." 

Early in March, 1844, Mr Payne returned to Ca- 
valla, and re-opened his schools. He had been, for two 
months, employed in missionary duty at Mt. Vaughan, 
during the absence ol* the Rev. Mr. Hazlehurst, who had 
visited Sierra Leone, in the hope of benefiting his health 
by the voyage, and of procuring assistant teachers from 
the English schools at that place. The first communi- 
cations of both these gentlemen to the Committee, after 
they had resumed the labors of their respective stations, 
contain the cheering intelligence of several native con- 
verts added to the Church, from among their scholars 
In -May, Mr. Payne again visited Taboo. He found the 
mission premises in good order, and the pupils, whose 
number had increased to twelve, afforded gratifying evi- 
dence of Musu's conscientious fidelity to the duties of 
his position. The steadfastness of this young disciple, 
under all the discouraging circumstances of his situation, 
cannot but be regarded as a wonderful triumph of Divine 
grace. Neither persuasion nor threats could induce him 
to abandon his post, but, for nearly two years, he con- 
tinued to superintend the station, with no encourage- 
ment except an occasional visit from Mr. Payne. These 
interviews were eagerly improved, as opportunities of 
acquiring information on various questions of duty. 

On the present occasion, he inquired, "If meat is 
brought on Sunday, which I have reason to think was 
killed on that day, ought I to receive it ? Is it right to 
give food to the hungry on Sunday ? Ought any presents 
to be received on that day ? What is the meaning of 
Redeemer 2" 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 237 

Another young man, who had also been under Mr. 
Minor's instructions, and who still manifested a desire 
for improvement, asked, " Is it right to eat of things of- 
fered in sacrifice to idols ?" Thus was the seed, sown by 
the lamented Minor, springing up to the honor and glory 
of God. He had not been permitted to witness the fruits 
of his labors, but none the less surely were those labors 
seen and rewarded by the great Lord of the harvest. 
" One soweth and another reapeth," but both unite in 
ascribing all the glory to Him who alone giveth the in- 
crease. 

The year which had now elapsed had been, in some 
respects, one of severe trial ; yet had it been marked by 
many and great mercies. The little band, indeed, 
missed from their ranks one of its most devoted and use- 
ful members, but the departed one had gone rejoicing to 
his rest, and his last words had been those of encourage- 
ment and hope. None other had been summoned to fol- 
low him, and though continued illness had obliged Mr. 
Appleby to leave the field for a time, they were now 
daily looking for the return of Dr. Savage, with a new 
accession to their number. The cloud, which had gather 
ed with such portentous blackness, had burst in blessings. 
The Mission seemed only the more firmly established by 
the events which had so seriously threatened its over- 
throw. The missionaries had been gratified by con- 
vincing proofs of the sincerity and steadfastness of the 
young converts, whose affectionate adherence had solaced 
them in the midst of their trials, and other wanderers 
had, from time to time, been gathered into the fold of 
Christ. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Death of Warra IlobaJi, alias Alexander V. Qriswold. 

While some of these young disciples were witnessing a 
good confession, amid scenes of toil and strife in their own 
benighted land, another was bearing his testimony to 
the power of Divine grace, far away in the quiet sick 
chamber, where Christian friends gathered to soothe, 
with their kind oilices, the last moments of the African 
stranger. 

Warra Hobah had entered the Mission school at 
Mt. Vaughan several years before, and had made such 
good use of the privileges there enjoyed, that the mission- 
aries determined to send him to the United States, to 
learn the art of printing. He was one of the fifteen na- 
tive youths supported by the scholars and teachers of 
Grace Church Sunday School, Boston, and by their request, 
had received the name of Alexander V. Griswold. 

He had accompanied Dr. Savage to Boston, and had 
been received into the printing-office of J. R. Marvin, 
Esq., where his conduct was so*exemplary, and his im- 
provement so rapid, as to excite high hopes of his future 
usefulness. He resided with Dr. Perkins, who was, at 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 239 

the time, pursuing the study of medicine, with the in- 
tention of returning as a missionary physician. 

On the 31st of October, Griswold addressed the fol- 
lowing letter to hia heathen father, the aged king of the 
Baboes : "I have very good friends here. I am living 
with Mr. Perkins. I am now learning to print, so as to 
come home and print books for our countrymen. I have 
seen the mighty works of the Lord. I have seen water, 
hard as stone and burns like fire. Witch never touch 
me. I am well. The Lord is with me; so you and all 
the old men ought to throw away your greegrees and 
serve God, because He, only, is able to save your souls 
from eternal punishment of hell. The leaves of the trees 
are falling off now, and as these leaves are falling, so we 
shall all fall. Oh ! what a great punishment it must be 
to them that hear the word of God and do not do it ; if 
we do not love God for all the things he has done for us, 
and above all, for sending His only begotten Son, Jesus 
Christ, to die for us !" 

He had passed through the severe winter of 1843-4 
without injury to his health, but on the 5th of May, he 
was seized with a severe attack of inflammation on the 
lungs, a disease to which his countrymen seem particu- 
larly liable. Dr. Hale was immediately summoned, but 
notwithstanding all his medical skill, and the kind and 
faithful attentions of Dr. and Mrs. Perkins, the disease 
continued to make rapid progress, and on the night of 
the 16th, he breathed his last. The following let- 
ter from Dr. Perkins affords gratifying evidence of his 
preparation for death. 

"During his sickness, Griswold has given us, I think, 



240 HISTORY OF 

pood evidence that he was not unprepared to die. In 
the. early part of his sickness, he told me he thought he 
should not get well, but die. I asked him if he was 
willing to die. ' Yes, I am not afraid to die.' Said I, 
have not you been a great sinner ; and you know God 
hates sin, how can you go to heaven ? ' I trust God has 
forgiven me all my sins, and wiped them all out of his 
book for Jesus' sake.' If God should say you might 
live or die, what would you do? 'I would say, just as 
he chooses, God's will be done.' What word do you 
wish me to send to Dr. Savage, and to the school-boys ? 
1 Ask Doctor to forgive me all bad things, and pray lor 
me. Ask the boys to pray for me that I may return to 
Africa, a printer, and print the Bible for my poor coun- 
trymen.' Your father would say you were witched 
now, would he not? 'Yes.' But what do you say 
about your sickness, are you witched ? ' Tell my father 
that witch is all foolishness ; tell him God gave me to 
you, and God has taken me away — bless his name.' I 
asked him if he would like to have prayers in the church 
for him on Sunday. He answered very quickly, ' Yes, 
sir, 'and then seemed to consider again what I had asked, 
and repeated, ' Yes, sir, yes sir, very much indeed.' I 
then asked him what he thought the Lord intended by 
sending this sickness upon him. 'To try me,' was the 
reply. He asked me, in a number of instances, to read 
particular passages of Scripture, and would tell me 
where I might find them. He asked to have the twenty- 
third chapter of Matthew read — at another time to have 
the chapter about those who are blessed, which he said 
was the fifth of Matthew— at another, the eighth of Ro- 



YilE AFRICAN MISSION. 241 

mans, on the love of God. After reading this chapter, I 
reminded him of what he had said, ' that he should not 
recover,' and said, ' Griswold, perhaps God, who with- 
holds no good thing from us, may see best for you never 
to return again to your country. He may see that if 
you should go back to Africa you would dishonor him, 
by again becoming a heathen ;' when he replied with 
great feeling, apparently of horror at the idea, ' God 
forbid !' " 

" On Thursday he appeared near his end, and often 
prayed aloud in a firm and clear tone — ' Oh, Lord ! for- 
give me all my sins for Jesus' sake.' I again asked if 
he was willing to die. He said, ' I ask not to live, I ask 
not to die ; if it please God to take me I am ready to go, I 
am not afraid to die.' Said I, * is God with you now ? 7 

* Yes, he is always with me. Tell the school-boys that 
I am an example to them that they too must die, and 
stand before God in judgment.' 'What shall I tell your 
father ?' 4 Tell him, praise the Lord, oh my father ; 
honor and worship him always, cast away all your gree- 
grees and worship him alone.' About two hours before 
he breathed his last, he made a great effort to collect 
his thoughts, and prayed in such a tone and with such 
earnestness as I never heard before. The burden of his 
prayer was 'his poor country people and himself, and 
the love of Christ in saving us from the fire that never 
can be quenched.' When just ready to depart, he was 
asked, ' what would you do without Jesus ? 7 He said, 

* I should be a miserable creature — I should be lost.' 
These were his last words." 

Why was this interesting youth brought in safety 
11 



242 HISTORY OF 

over the great waters, to sicken and die in a Strang* 
land ? Man's wisdom could not fathom the reasons lor 

a decree thus suddenly cutting off the promise of so 
much usefulness, but the humble Christian doubted not 
that the great Head of the Church Knew best how to 
promote the interests of his own cause. Grriswold's 
sojourn among OS had been short, but many had re- 
joiced in the light of his Christian character, and glori- 
fied God on his behalf. The heathen boy, degraded 
almost to a level with the brute, transformed into the 
intelligent, enlightened, consistent disciple of Christ, had 
brought under the personal observation of many friends 
of the Mission convincing proof that its labors were not 
in vain, and strengthened their confidence in its future 
success. Those who acknowledged the worth of an im- 
mortal soul to exceed all the treasures of worldly wealth, 
felt, that had no other good been effected, the Church 
was more than repaid for all that had been expended or 
endured. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Embarcation of another band of Missionaries — Cape Verde— Bathurst— 
Sierra Leone — Monrovia — Arrival at Cape Palmas — Sickness — Chapel at 
Cavalla— Examination of School. 

On the 26th of May, 1844, another band of missionaries 
set sail for the coast of Africa. Dr. Savage's appeal for 
aid had not been in vain ; and he now returned to his 
work with a larger number than had ever before em- 
barked at one time. His associates were the Rev. E. 
"W. Hening and w T ife, Mrs. C. L. Patch, and Miss Ruther- 
ford. Their voyage across the Atlantic was short and 
prosperous, and on the first of July they welcomed their 
first view of the African shore. The vessel was, how- 
ever, for several weeks engaged in trade along the coast, 
but the detention could hardly be regretted, as it gave 
the new comers an opportunity of learning much that 
was interesting and useful, in regard to the operations 
of the other Missions, established at the different points 
at which they touched. It will be interesting to follow 
them in these observations, in extracts from the journal 
of one of their number, who now rests from her labors. 
Mrs. Patch addressed this journal, in an epistolatory 
form, to a sister at home. 

"July 1st — Cape Verde. — I assure you the sight 
of land is pleasant, be it ever so barren. The Cape ap- 



244 HISTORY OF 

pears inaccessible ; the surf dashes against the rocks, 
which seem perpendicular and look very white in the 
bright sunlight. Very little vegetation is to be seen. 
You know that Cape Verde is the western extremity of 
Africa, that land of which I have heard so much, of its 
bondage, superstition and degradation. 

li Juhf 2d — Hone. — This is a French settlement, 
with a strong fortification. To-day passed Magdalen, 
Pierced and Bird Islands — saw one solitary tree. Pierced 
Island is so called from there being a large hole in the 
rocks, which might be taken for a work of art instead 
of nature. 

"July \tlt. — Off Bathurst, River Gambia — The 
vessel anchored hen- yesterday — this morning the gentle- 
men have gone on shore. Bathurst is an English settle- 
meirt : there are about lift y Europeans, merchants and 
officerfl in the army, besides others, filling offices of trust, 
appointed by government. This afternoon, Rev. Messrs. 
Godman and Linn, Wesleyan Missionaries, called on us, 
and invited us to spend the day with them to-morrow. 
Dr. Savage and Mr Hening brought us fruit and flow- 
ers ; and indeed L. I am delighted to see something from 
land again. Oh, I have so much to be thankful for, I 
can but wonder and adore the goodness of my God! 

" July 6th. — Passed the day, yesterday, at the Mis- 
sion house, and visited the day school, where there were 
about one hundred children present; some of them read 
in the Testament very well, answered questions, and all 
sang very prettily. I was particularly pleased with the 
buildings ; both school house and the chapel are large 
and airy. Bathurst is said to be unhealthy. Many 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 245 

wives of merchants have died here. How many are 
willing to sacrifice life, and to leave friends and country 
to make money, but if it is for the sake of teaching the 
Gospel, they are said to be beside themselves. 

" July 19th. — Off Sierra Leone. The view from the 
vessel is most lively. The houses are embosomed in 
palm-trees and an endless variety of shrubs, vines and 
flowers. Freetown is situated at the foot of the moun- 
tains, and appears to be a busy place. It is the rainy 
season here now, and every thing is very damp. The 
mountains look beautifully green, and vegetation is very 
luxuriant. 

"July 24:th. — Yesterday, Rev. Mr. Dove met our 
party at the landing early in the morning, and escorted 
us out to Fourah Bay station. This is the High School 
of the Church Missionary Society, where boys are edu- 
cated. Fourah Bay is about three miles from Free 
town, and one of the most lovely spots I ever beheld. 
The buildings are old, but the beautiful views around 
more than make up for this. I am told that there are 
many delightful, retired walks. The roads are perfectly 
smooth, and lined, on either side, with a variety of trees, 
shrubs and vines. The air was filled with odors from 
sweet flowers, from the pure white, to the bright red 
and yellow. There were twenty-nine boys present, 
many of them fine-looking. I never heard better sing- 
ing ; music is one of their studies, and is thoroughly 
taught. The missionary at this station is the Reverend 
Mr. Jones, a colored gentleman. He is now on a visit 
to England, and Rev. Mr. Crowther has charge. When 
I reflect that all these boys are recaptured slaves, I re- 



».[{) HISTORY OF 

joice that God has devised means for their rescue and for 
their education ; some of them, 1 trust, may become 
preachers of the Gospel. Returned with Mr. Dove to 
breakfast, their usual hour being nine o'clock ; rather 
later than New England people would fancy. I passed 
a plea-ant day ; saw many natives who came to sell 
mats, fowls, fee. 

11 July 21th. — 1 feel much indebted to Mr. Dove for 
his kindness. Yesterday morning, lie met us again at 
the Landing, and conveyed us to the Rev. Mr. Schon's, 
where we were to pass the day. Mr. S. is a missionary 
of the Church of England. 

" July 30th . — 1 have made my last visit on shore. We 
left the vessel early yesterday morning, and crossed the 
river to pass the day with the Rev. Messrs. Badger and 
Amos. This station is the High-school of the "VVesley- 
ans ; only Christian boys are admitted, and these are 
educated for the ministry. The buildings are very 
spacious and beautifully situated. The view of the 
mountains from the verandah is lovely and imposing. I 
■was highly gratified with the exercises in school, and 
with the devout and quiet appearance which seemed to 
pervade the whole establishment. 

"August \2(k. — Cape Mesurado is a wild looking 
spot. Upon the summit of the promontory is situated 
the town of Monrovia. I liked the appearance of the 
people. It seemed natural to be once more among 
Americans. Although many of them are very poor, they 
seem to be happy. They are free ; ■ true, there are 
those who do not work, and who would rather have a 
master to provide for them. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 247 

" August 11th. — I think it was about half-past 
three o'clock when we landed on Cape Palmas rocks. If 
I ever felt grateful in my life, it was then, when I found 
myself safely on land. Governor Russworm kindly pro- 
vided us with a donkey and one vehicle, which enabled 
us, by riding in turn, to reach Mt. Vaughan a little after 
dark. Mrs. Thomson, with her twelve girls, met us at 
the top of the hill ; the tea-table was laid, and I really 
felt at home. The sickness of the Rev. Mr. Hazlehurst, 
and the feeble health of Mr. Smith, saddened me, as they 
must soon leave for America, and our band of laborers 
will be again reduced." 

Mr. Hazlehurst had, at this time, just passed through 
a very severe and dangerous illness, which had so re- 
duced him as to leave little hope of his recovery, except 
from the invigorating breezes of the ocean. The Rev. 
Mr. Smith's health had been greatly impaired by five 
years residence in Africa, and imperatively required a 
change of climate ; so that both these gentlemen were 
obliged to return to America in the same vessel which 
had brought the new comers. Dr. Savage took charge 
of the station at Mt. Vaughan, and here the strangers 
were comfortably accommodated while passing through 
their acclimation. 

On the 3d of October, Mrs. Patch writes, " Five 
months, to-day, since I left Lowell. I have experienced 
many mercies ; the watchful care of my heavenly Father 
has been ever over me ; he has raised me up from the 
bed of sickness, and preserved me from ' the noisome 
pestilence.' Mr. and Mrs. Hening have recovered from 
the fever ; they were both quite sick — indeed, for a few 



248 HISTORY OF 

days, very ill. Miss Rutherford has had a slight inter- 
mittent — not confined to her room. I was in my room 
about four days, so that it is not probable either of us 
will have the fever." 

All were now ready to engage in the active duties 
of the Mission and anxious to begin their work. It was 
decided that Mrs. Patch should become Mrs. Payne's 
assistant at Cavalla, and on the 29th she removed to 
that station. She records her first attendance at the 
religious services held for the natives. 

11 October o\st. — Last evening I attended the weekly 
lecture in town. The chapel is made of bamboo, with 
a thatched roof, dirt floor, plain board seats, and desk 
and table of the same ; no glass in the windows, but 
common board shutters. The lamp on the table is a 
tin cup, filled with palm oil ; a stick with a rag wrapped 
around it answers as a substitute for tube and wick. 
The service is in Grebo." 

Mrs. Patch did not commence her regular duties in 
the school until after the Christmas examinations, of 
which we find the following notice. 

" December 28th. — On the 24th was the annual ex- 
amination. There were eighty-six pupils present, in- 
cluding the boys from three out-stations, besides Taboo ; 
and Tom Wilson's night school from town. I was highly 
gratified by all the exercises. Some of the boys at this 
station are considerably advanced in arithmetic and 
geography, and write pretty good compositions." 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

New arrangements — Arrival of Dr. and Mrs. Perkins and Mr. and Mrs. Ap- 
pleby— Another palaver— Curious ceremony — A great warrior — A battle — 
Native customs. 

In the meantime, deputations from Fishtown, Rocktown 
and Taboo had visited Mt. Vaughan to see " the new 
God-man," and beg that either he or Dr. Savage would 
settle among their townsmen. After visiting all these 
places and carefully comparing their claims, Mr. Heniiig 
determined to devote himself in carrying on the work, 
so successfully begun by the lamented Minor at Taboo. 
Dr. Savage resolved to locate himself at Fishtown, 
and having been united in marriage with Miss Eliza- 
beth Rutherford, removed thither in December, 1844. 

Until the necessary arrangements for occupying these 
stations could be completed, Mr. and Mrs. Hening re- 
mained at Mt. Vaughan, where the native school was 
still in operation, and regular services were held in the 
chapel on the Sabbath ; but the most of the scholars 
having been transferred to Fishtown, they now prepared 
to remove to their own station. Before their departure, 
they had the happiness of welcoming at Mt. Vaughan, 
Dr. and Mrs. Perkins and Mr. and Mrs. Appleby. Dr. 
Perkins had spent three years in Boston, pursuing the 
11* 



250 HISTORY OF 

study of medicine, and Mr. Appleby had acquired a 
knowledge of the art of printing ; so that both returned 
prepared for increased usefulness in the service of the 
Mission. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Hening left Mt. Vaughan about the 
middle of February, arriving at Cavalla the same day. 
Here they found the people in a state of greal excite- 
ment ; a serious quarrel haying arisen between two por- 
tions of the Grrebo tribe, which threatened to provoke a 
genera] war. The dispute bad commenced between the 
people <>f two towns, about some forest land which both 
were desirous of clearing for their rice farms. Other 
towns had scon taken part in the quarrel, and Bevere 

skirmishes bad occurred, in which lives bad been lost 
on both sides. Mr. Payne, having in vain endeavored 
to act as mediator, addressed a note to Governor Ituss- 
worm, soliciting his interference between the contending 
parties. The Governor arrived at Cavalla on the 19th 
of January, and in conjunction with the native King 
of Cape Palmas, succeeded in obtaining a promise that 
,; the palaver should be set." Tbc ceremonies on this 
important occasion are thus described by Mr. Payne: 

11 Monday, January 20. Early this morning 

messengers were despatched to G rah way and Wotteh, to 
procure a man from each of those places to go through 
the usual ceremony of ' setting the palaver.' About 1 1 
o'clock, I was called by the Governor to witness the 
ceremony. I found on reaching the King's house, in 
the middle of the circle formed by the Governor and 
other arbitrators, together with the headmen of Cavalla, 
a wooden bowl, containing some water, and near by it, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 251 

lying on the ground, some powdered preparation, which 
I was informed was the liver of some man who had 
been killed in war, burned with some vegetable matter. 
The three young men appointed to perform the cere- 
mony in behalf of their people, now approached the 
bowl, dipped up water in their ringers three times, car- 
ried it to their mouths, and as often spit it out. After- 
wards each dipped his fingers in the 'powdered liver 
four times, putting a portion each time in his mouth. 
Finally all the arbitrators, as well as other natives pre- 
sent, collected around the bowl, ate the remainder of the 
liver and then hastily dispersed." 

There was much reason, however, to fear that this 
professed settlement of the difficulties was not entirely 
sincere. Mr. Payne had believed that, in the com- 
mencement of hostilities, the Cavalla people had not 
intended to destroy life, but the disposition of their 
opponents was evidently for war, and they had com- 
mitted such unprovoked and unprecedented outrages, as 
it was hardly probable would be so easily forgiven by a 
savage and heathen people. It was soon apparent that 
hostilities would be renewed when both parties had 
completed their preparations for war. Occasional ex- 
tracts from the journal of Mr. Payne will show the pro- 
gress of the affair, and furnish additional illustrations 
of heathen customs. 

" Sunday* January 26th. — On our way to church 
this morning, we passed an immense crowd of people, 
collected about a great ' war-man,' as he is called. I 
find, on inquiry, that this is the same individual who 
was here about three months ago, and made a ' gree- 



252 HISTORY OF 

gree,' which he told the people would, on a certain day, 
insure them any quantity offish they needed. His gcee* 
gree having tailed two or three days in succession, he 
suddenly Left, as I thought, in disgrace. It would seem, 
however, that this was a mistake ; foi on the first rumor 
of wax with Grahway, this same character makes hie ap- 
pearance, has a house erected for him hy the people, and 
undertakes to prepare war ' greegrees,' which will make 
the balls of their enemies rebound from their bodies and 
fall powerless before them ! It was this ceremony which 
was attracting the crowd of people we now saw ; and I 
was gravely told, that after having been rubbed over 
with the doctor's preparation, two men were shot at this 
morning, and saw the balls fall powerless before them in 
a bowl prepared to receive them ! Absurd as is such a 
pretension, it is, I believe, generally credited by the 
people, and proved sufficient to keep nearly the whole 
population from church. Only about five or six men 
were present, and in all, the attendance did not exceed 
seventy people. 

Saturday, February Sth. — This morning, our at- 
tention was attracted by an immense concourse of women, 
on the green in front of our house. It was a meeting 
of the Cavalla women, called by one of their number, to 
ascertain their feelings in regard to the proposed war ! 
Before taking the vote, they were arranged in two par- 
ties, one composed of the natives of Cavalla and neutral 
towns and tribes ; the other, of those born in the towns 
upon which it is proposed to make war. This arrange- 
ment, hoAvever, having displeased the headmen, the 
meeting was broken up, without haA r ing accomplished its 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 253 

object. At four o'clock this afternoon, however, it was 
again convened ; and along with the women, nearly the 
whole Cavalla population assembled. An aged woman 
arose and narrated, at length, all the insults and griev- 
ances received from their enemies within her recollection, 
concluding by declaring that, in her judgment, war was 
the only alternative. The women unanimously declared 
their opinion to be the same. The men next discussed 
the subject, and after a short time spent in talking it 
over, they declared that however unwilling they might 
have been before to engage in war, now, since the women 
had colled upon them to fight, shame, if nothing else, 
should induce them to do so." 

The ground of the importance attached to the feel- 
ings of women in regard to war, is their supposed power 
of causing, by witchcraft, the death of their friends who 
go out to war, and the fear that they may desert to their 
relations when war actually begins, in case their sympa- 
thies are with them. 

" Friday, February 2lst. — These people having so 
far advanced in fortifying their town as to render it safe 
to leave, determined to make an attack on Grahway to- 
day. It having rained in the morning, they did not get 
oft* until two or three o'clock this afternoon. Having 
reached Grahway, they manoeuvred before it for more than 
an hour, with the view of drawing out the Grahwayans 
from their entrenchments. As, however, they declined 
coming out, and it was too late to make an assault upon 
the town, the Cavalla people returned home. 

" Saturday, February 22d. — This morning, at seven 
o'clock, we were informed that our people had gone to 



254 HISTORY OF 

renew their attack on Grahway. The largest body took 
the same direction as yesterday, through the woods, so 
as to appear suddenly before the town. As soon as they 
appeared in the meadow, the smaller division advanced 
to join them, and the whole shortly presented themselves 
before Grahway. The people there manifested the same 
indisposition to come out that they did yesterday, but 
finding, at length, that a battle was unavoidable, they 
sallied forth to meet their enemies. Both parties drew 
up near to each other, and remained for some time in 
this position, as if each feared to strike the first blow. 
During this time, being near enough together to be dis- 
tinctly heard, they continued to menace, ridicule and 
curse each other in the most offensive language which 
they could command ; still no gun was fired — no move- 
ment towards an attack made, on either side. It was 
now eleven o'clock. At this time, the wife of ' Nypra,' 
the war-man, made her appearance suddenly, between 
the hostile armies, and, advancing to her husband, thus 
addressed him : ' Nypra, why have you kept these Ca- 
valla people so long here without food ? Do you not 
know that I can eat nothing until you have burned these 
towns ; and why do you wait ? Do you not see, already, 
the sky filled with smoke and flame from the burning 
towns ? On ! and do your work.' Nypra made no re- 
ply, but taking his wife by the arm, paced with her 
backwards and forwards between the hostile armies, 
looking all the while intently upon a small looking-glass 
which he always takes with him. During all this time, 
he was near enough to be shot by the opposite party, 
who, indeed, continually threatened to fire. He, how- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 255 

ever, heeded them not, until, at length, having finished 
his incantations, at a given signal, there was a general 
onset by the Cavalla people. In fifteen minutes, their 
enemies were retreating before them, and Grahway was 
in flames. !Some twenty-five Grahway people were left 
dead on the field, and nearly as many were wounded. 
Two small towns besides Grahway were also bumed 3 and 
nearly all the property in them, except what was con- 
sumed by the flames, fell into the hands of the Cavalla 
people. The loss of this people was five killed and some 
six or eight wounded. It was truly a melancholy and 
heathen spectacle, to see, as I stood on Dodo-Luh point 
with Mr. Hening, our people, returning with their dead 
and wounded, and bearing, with shouts of exultation, 
the heads of their slaughtered foes. Eighteen of these 
they piled on a high rock on the sea-shore, that they 
might have the barbarous satisfaction of beholding them 
as they passed." 

Five weeks elapsed after this battle before another 
encounter, during which interval the Sabbath services 
were regularly held and attended by good congregations. 
On the 31st of March, Mr. Payne again writes : 

" An eventful day to us at Cavalla ! At five o'clock 
this morning we were awakened by such a discharge of 
fire-arms as left no doubt that we were in the midst of 
war. The long expected attack had been made, simul- 
taneously, by the River Cavalla and Grahway people, on 
the two small towns of Cavalla, in the direction of those 
two places respectively. ^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
In all, twenty-five men have fallen to-day ; and since 
the beginning of the existing difficulties not fewer than 



256 HISTORY OP 

one hundred, on both sides; a degree of mortality un- 
precedented in the history of this tribe, or indeed of any 
others in its neighborhood." 

" Thursday, April \tJi. — This morning, at seven 
o'clock, there was a general 'turn out' of the soldiers 
of this place, for the purpose of purifying themselves 
after the battle of Monday. This is always done on the 
fourth day alter fighting. Before the peculiar ceremony 
which constitutes the purification, they went through 
the evolutions performed in war, and then arranged them- 

selves iu a line along the sea shore. Here, after a gene- 
ral discharge of their arms, all walked in far enough to 
allow the waves to lave theil feet, and were thus purilied. 
" Saturday, April ('•///. — Late on last Monday night, 
after 1 hail recorded the events of the day, we heard 
great rejoicing in town. On asking the cause, we were 
informed that the River people had sent to 4 beg.' This 
was equivalent to saying they liad been beaten; and 
hence the noise we now heard. 

"Two women, natives of this place, but married at 
the River towns, were the messengers sent to ' beg ' for 
peace. They brought in their hands a copper rod, 
which, however, as well as any thing else used for this 
purpose, is called tweh (axe) ; this latter being the most 
sacred, and indeed, the appropriate token on such occa- 
sions. The messengers first presented themselves at the 
gate of the small town next to the river, using the most 
humilating language. They were kept standing there 
until information of their arrival was brought to the 
headmen of the large town. Tnese sent word to them, 
that they could not enter town, but must go back home, 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 257 

and bring the proper c tweh.' They accordingly went 
back, but returned the same night, presenting themselves 
again at the gate. But, once more, they were sent home. 
The next morning they came again, bringing the proper 
' tweh.' They were then admitted into the large town, 
and as they passed through to the assembly-house of the 
'Sedibo,' cried aloud, 'A ya tweho ! A ya tweho ! (we 
bring the axe,) W. S. K. (the name of the headman.) 
you have beaten us; we are not equal to you ; you have 
our lands — our homes — we have come to beg them from 
your hands.' The ' tweh' was then received and hung 
up in the top of the Sedibo's house, as a memorial that 
these people had been beaten and begged them. The 
women then returned home. 

" On the following day, the same two women came 
again, accompanied by two men from the River towns. 
The latter brought with them some tiger's teeth as a 
present to the Tibawa, or head of the Sedibo. The peo- 
ple now generally assembled to meet these messengers 
at the Sedibo's house. One of the old men of this place 
then rose, and gave a detailed account of the relation 
of the Cavalla and River people, from the settlement of 
the latter in their present towns. He dwelt particularly 
on the fact, that the land on which the River people had 
built their towns was given them by the Cavalla people, 
and of their ingratitude in attempting to wrest more from 
them now. Now, however, they had not only failed in 
their attempt, but been beaten in war. He then reminded 
the delegates, that their people had threatened, in case 
they beat the Cavalla people, to make them go back to 
R,ocktown, whence they came ; and, as they had been 



258 HISTORY OF 

beaten, it was only pursuing a policy originated by them, 
to insist that they should return to Cape Talmas and 
G-rahway, from whence they had emigrated* And this 
he called G-nisreah (God) to witness, was the only con- 
dition upon which his people would conclude peace. 

"The delegates, in reply, acknowledged that their 
people had been beaten, and that they were now forced 
to come ami beg their lands from their conquerors ; hut 
said that they could not think of abandoning their homes. 
All this, th«.' delegates were forced to say sitting, while 
the Bpeaker of this people stood, in token of superiority. 
Neither party would, however, recede. from the ground 
which they had taken, though a long and angry discus- 
sion was maintained on both Bides. Notwithstanding 
this, they proceeded to make peace in the usual manner, 
described about a month ago. Then followed a most 
Bingular part of the ceremony, with which the whole 
concluded. The River Cavalla delegates, after having 
1 spit water,' seized two pieces of wood, and ran through 
the town in every direction for the purpose of killing any 
fowls which they might chance to see. Having, at 
length, killed two in this manner, they took them home 
to be eaten there. 

" This same ceremony was performed at the River, 
by two men sent from this place. Still it seems that 
the matter was not fully settled. It would appear, 
indeed, that the ' begging' party in such cases, is obliged 
to continue to give until the conquerors say 'enough.' 
Accordingly, to-day, the River people sent a cow, fur- 
ther to propitiate these people. It was received; but 
the same conditions for a final settlement were repeated 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 259 

that were proposed a few days ago. Whether this is a 
mere threat, made to extort as much as possible from 
the supplicants, or it is intended really to be carried into 
effect, remains to be seen." 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Quiet restored — Purifying the land — Mr. Hening's journal — Visit from a Devil 
Doctor — Musu's baptism — Dr. Perkins removes to ItocUbookah — Account 
Of Nimli'li. 

No further disturbances occurred during the year, and 
the affairs of the station resumed their wonted course. 
The congregations on the Sabbath continued to increase, 
and among: them were a number of women. The females 
had appeared, from custom and force of circumstances, 
to be in a great measure excluded from religious influ- 
ence, until Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Patch adopted the plan 
of visiting them on Saturday afternoons, conversing with 
them familiarly on their spiritual interests, and urging 
their attendance on public worship. The result of this 
ellbrt was most encouraging, many being induced to 
become regular hearers of the Word of Life, and evincing 
much interest in the truths thus proclaimed. 

Mr. Payne's journal of November 26th, contains the 
following interesting incident : 

" A curious native ceremony, connected with the late 
war, terminated to-day. It appears that war is consider- 
ed in itself so evil a thing, that it invariably leaves upon 
the land where it has been carried on a blighting influ- 
ence, called ' gla ;' this, if not removed, prevents or mars 
all the productions of the earth. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 261 

"Wat having now terminated, in the wishes ami 
opinions of these people, and the farming season being 
near at hand, it had become necessary that this ' gla' 
should be taken away. Accordingly, a man living at 
Garaway, some forty miles to the windward, skilled in 
this art, was sent for. He arrived several days ago, but 
the ceremony did not begin until Sunday night. At that 
time, the crier went through the town, calling upon all 
the population to remain at home on the following day. 
In the morning, the solemn season commenced. No one 
was permitted to leave the place for another, and all 
strangers arriving, were required to remain for three 
days, during which the ceremony was to continue. 

<: The purifier now commenced his work. Having 
gone to the 'bush,' he brought some leaves, which he 
beat up in a mortar. He then put in cassada, palm 
nuts, rice, and all the fruits of the earth that were at 
hand, pounding them with the leaves. This mixture he 
took and scattered over the fields of cassada and vegeta- 
bles near the town. He now returned to the ' Ta-kai,' 
or Bodias' house, in which are kept the town greegrees. 
A goat was brought. The purifier stood up and invoked 
Gnisuah, God, four times, and then the 'kwi,' departed 
spirits. He confessed, in the name of the people, that, 
contrary to their wishes, they had been involved in war, 
and thereby defiled the land. That war, however, was 
now, so far as they were concerned, terminated ; and 
they desired never more to be engaged in it. They now 
sought to cleanse their land ; and to propitiate the kwi, 
offered the goat. The goat was then killed, and its 
blood sprinkled before the Bodias' house, when there was 



0(32 HISTORY OF 

a general and prolonged firing. Thence they all set out 
Bgain, and proceeding in a tumultuous manner, returned 
to the beach. Here, again, there was a universal dis- 
charge of musketry, repeated again and again, thus sig- 
nifying that they had taken all the war out oftoum,a.nd 
jircd if away." 

.Mr. Electing had left Cavalla, on his way to Taboo, 
on the 7th of .March. A few extracts from his journal 
Will acquaint the reader with the progress of event a at 
this station, while those just recorded were occurring at 
Cavalla. 

" It was night before we reached Taboo. The pupils 
of the school, who had \n^[\ long and anxiously awaiting 
our arrival, stood on the opposite bank of the river. As 
the canoe glided over the waters, their shouts of joy, and 
the glare of the blazing torches in their hands, gave to 
the Bcene a romantic interest. The school at Taboo con- 
sisted of twelve pupils; and the manner in which they 
had been trained and disciplined by their instructor, a 
young native, Musu, afforded a most gratifying evidence 
of his zeal and fidelity. ######** 

" March 12th. — To-day, I have had what is called 
a ' palaver' with the natives. This is a term which 
seems to have no definite meaning, but is applied to 
everything. Early in the morning, Musu informed me 
that a number of natives were assembled in the room 
below, a deputation of the kings and headmen of the 
surrounding towns — and that they had come to ' set the 
palaver' about the price of rice, palm-oil, labor, &c. As 
the movement was one of which I had been premonished 
by my brethren of the mission, I was prepared to meet 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 263 

it. As soon as a ' new man' is located, the first thing 
done, is, to discover, by a variety of annoying experi- 
ments upon his patience, if he has a ' strong mouth ;' or, in 
other words, whether he has the firmness to resist any 
species of extortion whieh may be practised upon him. 
These experiments are repeated from time to time, sub- 
jecting the missionary to much inconvenience and har- 
raesment, and are only to be put down by his maintaining 
a firm and decided stand. When I went to the room 
below, I found it filled with natives ; and as all were 
talking, or rather shouting, at the top of their voices, the 
scene of uproar and confusion is indescribable. One man 
was tricked off in a military cocked hat ; another, in a 
pair of huge, rusty, brass epaulettes ; a third, brandished 
a broadsword in his hand ; and each one of the motley 
group was equipped in some tattered, cast-off garment, 
such as a night-gown, military frock coat, &c. I was 
satisfied, at a glance, that the whole scene had been 
studiously gotten up to impress the ' new man' with be- 
coming ideas of its dignity and importance. ' Henni-o !' 
asked the spokesman of the occasion, who had acquired 
his knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon in a voyage to Liver- 
pool — ' Henni-o ! you see here all dis genman ? He be 
big man for dis country ; all dis country he belong him ; 
and now he come for talk rice-palaver.' When ' the 
palaver was talked,' an exorbitant increase of price 
was demanded upon every article. This I of course re- 
solutely refused to give. The demand was reiterated 
again and again, with like success. At length, finding 
me inflexible, the discussion of the matter was postponed 
to a future day, my visitors promising that, in the mean- 



0(34 HISTORY or 

time, they would * look their heads' — that is, deliberate. 
As their policy was to coerce me into compliance, no 
provisions of any kind were brought to my house for 
several weeks. At the expiration of that time, they re- 
turned — were again baffled — and finding that my ' mouth 
was strong,' matters were settled upon a quiet basis." 

" May 10. — To-day I received a visit from a Fetish- 
man or ' Devil Doctor.' His appearance indicated his 
profession His face was streaked with red and white 
paint ; his body smeared with mud and palm oil ; a pro- 
fusion of greegrees about his person, and a black monkey's 
skin, the peculiar badge of his tribe, under his arm. 
From his account of the matter, he had come upon a 
most benevolent enterprize. He informed me that Mr. 
Minor had been but a short time in the country — that 
witches had killed him, and that for a trifle of tobacco, 
he would make me some greegrees to be placed under 
my house, which would shield me from all malign in- 
fluences. He declared that he was the chief of ' devil 
doctors ' — that his power over the supernatural agencies 
was unlimited ; and as a proof of it, referred to the fact 
that he had frequently cut off his own head with a cut- 
lass, and walked about with it, a whole night, under his 
arm. He was amazed at the incredulity which I mani- 
fested, and upon my remonstrating with him upon the 
folly and wickedness of his pretensions, he offered to es- 
tablish them by some experiments, which would banish 
all doubt from my mind. These were deferred until a 
future day, as a consultation with the devil was the 
preliminary and indispensable step to success. I heard 
nothing of the devil-man for three or four weeks. But 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 265 

the eventful day arrived, and the experiments were 
exhibited. The pupils of my school, my family, and a 
number of natives from the town, were spectators. The 
doctor" unrolled his monkey's skin, and took from it a 
small wooden bowl, capable of holding a pint measure. 
This was next filled to the brim with water, and then 
streaked, red and yellow, with the dye of some vegeta- 
ble substances, which he had expressed by chewing. 
Four light sticks, about a foot long and tapering to a 
bulb at one extremity, were then produced ; these pre- 
parations being made, a sharp-pointed piece of iron was 
driven into the floor, so as to stand firm and upright. 
The bowl was then placed upon it, as near the centre of 
the bottom as could be done, the equilibrium adjusted by 
means of the sticks — and in this position, wonderful to tell, 
the bowl and its contents remained balanced ! The expe- 
riment done, the doctor looked around with an air of 
triumph, declaring that it was the power of witchcraft. 
His triumph, however, was of short duration; and he 
retired amidst the jeers and laughter of the spectators, 
when I performed the same experiment, without evoking 
to my aid any more potent or mysterious agent than a 
steady hand. He determined, however, upon one more 
effort to retrieve his reputation. The experiment con- 
sisted in plaistering one of his legs with a quantity of 
thick palm oil, and causing a heated iron to pass rapidly 
over it without producing pain. He was again confounded, 
when, simply dipping my hand in water, a similar use 
was made of the heated iron. It is by arts like these, 
which scarcely rise to the dignity of legerdemain, that 
the Fetish-man obtains so great an ascendency over the 
12 



266 HISTORY OF 

minds of his ignorant dupes. His supposed alliance with 
the devil, (who is always invoked on such occasions,) 
invests him with a mysterious awe, and then the most 
simple feats of jugglery are played off without detection, 
as the workings of a supernatural agency. Here is found 
the most formidable obstacle to the advancement of the 
Gospel. The intellect lies not only dormant, but para- 
lized, under its weight." 

11 October 26. — This is a memorable day ! I can re- 
cord an event, a rich blessing on my labors, which ifl 
enough to repay every past sacrifice or privation — Musu 
has been admitted to the holy ordinance of baptism ! 
This of itself, would be an abundant cause for adoring 
gratitude, but since his public profession of his faith in 
Christ, five others, one an adult, a native man employed 
in my service, and the other four pupils of my school, 
have expressed the hope that their hearts have been re- 
newed by divine grace. They are candidates for bap- 
tism, and will be admitted to the Church, should their" 
walk and conversation be such as to confirm the pleasing 
hope that they are 'new creatures in Christ Jesus.' 

" Since my residence in this country, my school has 
been the object of my deepest solicitude. Withdrawn as 
its pupils are, from all the corrupting influences around 
them, and trained, by daily precept, in the fear and nur- 
ture of the Lord, I have always turned to it for encour- 
agement when all else seemed dark and cheerless. May 
the Lord carry on the work thus graciously begun, and 
ripen to a glorious harvest, the seed sown in faith and 
prayer." 

Dr. Perkins and his family had remained at Mt. 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 267 

Vauglian during the first three months succeeding their 
return from the United States, in the expectation that 
after so long an absence, they might be obliged to un- 
dergo a second acclimation. Such, however, was not 
the case, and in May they took up their abode at Taboo, 
designing to remain with Mr. and Mrs. Hening until a 
comfortable dwelling could be erected at Rockbookah, 
where they were to be stationed. Mrs. Perkins took 
charge of a class of girls, and the Doctor devoted him- 
self to the practice of his profession among the natives. 
His medical report mentions the fact, that in the course 
of six months, he had treated upwards of three hundred 
cases. It is evident that the people are not only willing, 
but anxious to receive medical treatment ; and the im- 
portance of this profession in conciliating their good will, 
and thus opening a channel for religious influence, can 
hardly be over-estimated. In December, Dr. Perkins 
removed to Rockbookah, and re-opened that station, 
which had been left vacant since Mr. Appleby's depar- 
ture for the United States, in 1843. 

At Fishtown, the result of the year's exertions was 
encouraging. The school was in full operation and well 
attended in both departments. Dr. Savage makes par- 
ticular mention of Nimleh, Samuel Boyd, ms most ad- 
vanced scholar among the boys. This young man had 
been under the care of the missionaries of the American 
Board until their removal to the Gaboon river, when he 
was transferred to our own Mission. His progress in his 
studies had been highly satisfactory, and at the quarterly 
examination, held in September, 1845, he is reported as 
having recited creditably in arithmetic as far as frac- 



268 HISTORY OF 

tions, astronomy and geography, besides showing good 
specimens of writing and composition. A further notice 
of him, extracted from Dr. Savage's journal, will be of 
interest to the reader. 

"July 21///. — Nimleh, my oldest male scholar, came 
to me this morning, Baying that he had been trying to 
reconcile an apparent discrepancy between the Creed 
and the Gospel. The Creed said that Christ rose from 
the dead and ascended into heaven ; how is it, then, 
that be was on the earth some time after he rose, and did 
many wonderful things ! Did he descend again to his 
disciples? ***#****»*** 

■• Sunday morning, September \\tli. — Nimleh, who 
la my interpreter, came to me, with evident pertur- 
bation. Baying thai ilie people of Middletown have 
threatened to poison him for interpreting, faithfully, my 
words in preaching. This gave me a good opportunity 
to explain to him several expressions of our Saviour, the 
meaning of which he had asked before, such as, ' A 
man's foes shall be they of his own household.' ' He 
that seeks to save his life, shall lose it.' ' I came not to 
send peace on the earth, but a sword,' &c, &c. I asked 
him how lie felt when he heard such threats from his 
own people. He replied, ' They trouble me but little, 
when I remember that Christ has forewarned us of 
these things.' I asked him if he thought he would be 
willing to die by poison, if God should permit it. He 
replied very promptly, ' Yes, sir.' His growth in grace 
has of late been quite perceptible. 

" November 16th. — Nimleh asked rne this morning, 
1 if simiers in hell could see saints in heaven ; and if the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 269 

Abraham whom the rich man in hell saw afar ofi\ was 
the Abraham who begat Isaac V He asked also, ' if we 
should carry the same wills into the other world that 
we have here ?' meaning, if we should have equal 
powers of volition there, and liberty to carry out our 
wills into action. In the same connection, he asked if a 
desire to sin, though it be not accomplished, will be pun- 
ished by God. He seemed easily to comprehend the 
difference between evil desires cherished, and such de- 
sires promptly suppressed from fear and love to God." 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Review of the year 1845 — Arrival of the Rev. Mr. Messenger — Illness and 
death of Mrs. Patch. 

Christmas-day, 1845, the ninth anniversary of the es- 
tablishment of the Mission, marked an era of great pros- 
perity in its annals. Five stations were now occupied, 
a missionary and his wife residing at each. The num- 
ber of laborers in the field was greater than at any former 
period, and, with the exception of intermittents and other 
slight ails, there had been no sickness among them during 
the year. "Wherever the Gospel had been preached, it 
had proved the power of God unto salvation to some be- 
lieving soul ; several had been added to the Church at 
the different stations, and the indirect influence of Chris- 
tianity was evident, in various ways, upon the mass of 
the people. 

The whole extent of sea-coast embraced in the opera- 
tions of the Mission, was more than fifty miles, and the 
number of pupils one hundred and fifty. 

As it was desirable that the Christmas festival should 
be duly observed at the several stations, the annual 
meeting was postponed until the 30th, when the gentle- 
men met at Cavalla, and after the transaction of busi- 



THE AFRICAN 31 1 SSI ON. 271 

ftess, the anniversary sermon was preached by the Rev. 
Mr. Hening. It was an occasion of devout joy and 
thankfulness, and when, a few weeks later, the little 
band was yet farther enlarged by the arrival of the Rev. 
E. J. P. Messenger, all hearts beat high with renewed 
hopes of still glowing prosperity. It is painful, indeed, 
to be obliged to reverse the picture ; but God, in infinite 
wisdom, saw fit severely to check these glowing antici- 
pations. In these disappointed hopes, this exchange of 
sunshine for cloud, and joy for heaviness, we read, how- 
ever, only a repetition of the lesson which is stamped on 
all below ; and we beg the reader, while he goes with 
us again to the bedside of the dying, and again mourns 
with us over scenes of trial and bereavement, not to for- 
get that the African Mission has known seasons of pros- 
perity as well as of adversity, and that often, when most 
tried in outward circumstances, its faithful servants were 
permitted to rejoice in those spiritual blessings for which 
they would joyfully endure a tenfold suffering. 

The warmest part of the year had now arrived, and 
the heat became unusually intense. Much sickness pre- 
vailed among the natives and colonists, and the health 
of all the missionaries was more or less impaired. On 
the 8th of March Mrs. Patch was attacked by serious 
illness, and on the 18th expired. She had been a faith- 
ful servant of the Church, and the reader will be inter- 
ested in such memorials of her life and death as we have 
been able to collect. 

Catharine Low Lyon was the daughter of Enoch 
Lyon, of Newport, R. I., and was born in Boston, June 
3d, 1812. In 1823, her parents moved to Lowell, where 



272 HISTORY OF 

she became interested in the Episcopal Church, and was 
received into its communion, by baptism, on the 8th of 
June, 1828, by the Rev. Theodore Edson. She re- 
ceived confirmation from the hands of the Rt. Rev. 
Bishop Grifiwold, on the 23d of the same month. 

At the age of twenty-two, she was united in mar- 
riage with Mr. William Patch, a devoted member of the 
Episcopal Church, and an ardent friend of the African 
Z\l is-ioi^. For some time before his death, it had been 
Mr. Patch's desire to devote himself to the service of 
Christ on that heathen shore; but God had other de- 
signs lor him. and, on the 11th of April, 1842, he was 
summoned from the labors of earth to the rest of heaven. 
His bereaved widow, who had fully sympathised in his 
desire to promote the kingdom of Christ in Africa, re- 
solved to consecrate her remaining years to the work 
which he had loved, and having made application to the 
Board, received her appointment in the spring of 1844. 

Speaking of the parting scene, when she took leave 
of her family in Lowell, she says : " I thought my friends 
all seemed more sad and silent than the case required. 
I almost wavered once, but it was only for a moment. 
I thought of Africa, and that I had given myself to the 
work, which soon brought back my wandering affec- 
tions. 

" I think my present situation in life has, by the pro- 
vidence of God, been brought about by a long chain of 
events, which I can trace to my earliest recollections, 
when the first germ of a missionary spirit was implanted 
in my mind. I remember very distinctly the instruc- 
tions received in the Sunday School, when I was quite a 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 273 

little girl. There was one principle which my teacher 
tried to inculcate, to be good myself and try to do good 
to others." 

In her journal, written at sea, she mentions having 
suffered much from sea-sickness, and writes : "I felt 
that in God was my only trust. My native land was 
fast receding from my view; I might never behold it 

again ; yet I felt happy, calm, even joyful. Yes, L , 

you would not shed one tear if you knew how happy I 
feel. Christ can and does give me strength in every 
hour of need. It is sweet to trust entirely to Him ' who 
layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, who 
maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the 
wings of the wind.'" 

Of the voyage and her arrival on the African coast, 
we have already given notices, extracted from her own 
journal, which brings up her history until the time when 
she entered upon her duties as teacher of the Female 
School at Cavalla. " In the performance of these," says 
Mr. Payne, " she continued with the exception of a single 
day, until her lasl sickness. In her sincere devotion, the 
untiring zeal and perseverance with which she sought 
to improve the children of her charge, she was in- 
deed an example worthy of all imitation. As a member 
of the family circle, her character was very estimable. 
Quiet, meek, cheerful, she felt herself, and desired to 
make others feel, that we are members one of another, 
and are associated together to bless, and be blessed by 
one another. Thus passed away nearly eighteen months, 
scarcely interrupted by a day's serious indisposition. Her 
good health, indeed, was a matter of surprise to all. She 
12* 



27i HISTORY OF 

would, it is true, sometimes complain of unpleasant feel- 
ings, on account of which she was advised to take medi- 
cines. She had , however, been bo unused to sickness, 
that she appeared incapable of estimating the importance 
of taking proper remedies ; ami this. Dr. Perkins thinks, 
was a ureal error and laid the foundation of her final 

attack, which came with such accumulated strength as 

to baffle the powei of medicines. 

•• On Saturday. March 7th. after making her usual 
visit to the native women, for the purpose of conversing 

with them and inducing them to attend services on the 
coming Sabbath, she fell so unwell that she immediately 
retired. On Sunday morning, however, she thought 

herself so much better that sue dressed herself with the 
view of going to church, hut the eflbrl proved loo much 

for her strength, and Bhe again retired. On Monday 
morning, after taking calomel the night before, she ap- 
peared to have so little lever thai we gave her tonics. 
In the afternoon, she was again more unwell, but did 
not think herself seriously so. This opinion she stated 
to Mrs. Payne, remarking at the same time, that should 
it j. rove otherwise, her trust was in God, who, she felt 
sure, could give strength for any emergency. Her dis- 
order continuing on Tuesday, we determined to send for 
Dr. Perkins the next morning. He came as soon as he 
could possibly do so, and at once pronounced her most 
seriously diseased, her liver being evidently very much 
aflected. The most active remedies were at once re- 
sorted to, and continued until her death, without, how- 
ever, producing the least apparent effect. Still, so 



THE AFRICAN MISSION* 275 

robust had been her health, that the doctor continued to 
hope for her recovery. 

" During the greater portion of her illness, her mind 
was so much under the influence either of disease or 
medicines, that she was indisposed to converse. She 
tDDce, however, remarked to Mrs. Payne, that though 
naturally averse to talking about her feelings, she thought 
•a great deal. 

" On ascertaining that she was dangerously ill, I 
went up to her room on Sunday morning. She appeared 
much gratified to see me. On my remarking that she 
appeared very sick, she replied, 'Yes, but God has been 
very merciful to me." After reading a portion of Scrip- 
ture, and praying, at the close of which exercise she 
pronounced, most distinctly, Amen, she begged that I 
would come often to visit her, and expressed the wish 
that we would inform her as soon as we should think 
there was a probability of a, fatal termination to her 
disease ; at the same time remarking, that if it was the 
will of God, she would ' be happy to die.' 

" On Monday, I again read and prayed with her, but 
she appeared indisposed to talk. 

" The next day, she was so uncomfortable that it 
was thought unadvisable for Mr. Payne to visit her ; 
and on the following morning, the doctor considered her 
symptoms so unfavorable as to render her recovery ex- 
ceedingly doubtful. According to her request, Mr. 
Payne acquainted her with this opinion. ' She appeared,' 
he writes, ' somewhat surprised at the information, re- 
marking that she felt no worse. I asked if she had any 
special message to her friends at home or elsewhere* She 



^76 HISTORY OF 

replied that there was nothing particular that she could 
think of, and then ejaculated, ' Oh, God ! my times are 
in thy hands.' 

" The few observations which she made appeared to 
call forth so much effort, that I thought it inexpedient 
to trouble her with more questions. During the morn- 
ing, however, the nurse being alone with her, she prayed 
most fervently for God's blessing upon the Mission, the 
people, and especially upon the children whom she had 
instructed. After this, she seemed unable to speak, and 
to be, for the most part, insensible to things around her. 
But, thank God! Bhe needed not a dying hour to pre- 
pare her to meet her God. She hud 'set,' and kept 
' her house in order," and, as her quiet spirit withdrew 
gradually from its decaying tenement, it ' was carried by 
angels into Abraham's bosom.' 

" Early the next morning, many of the natives, ac- 
cording to their custom, visited Mr. and Mrs. Payne, to 
condole with them on their loss, and to take a last look 
of their departed friend. Services were held in the 
school-house, and the body laid in its last resting-place, 
beside the grave of the Rev. L. B. Minor. 

" Both on this occasion, and on the following Sab- 
bath, Mr. Payne endeavored to improve the sad event by 
contrasting the death of the righteous, thus quietly 
sinking to his rest, with the distress and dread expe- 
rienced by the heathen at the approach of death. That 
the contrast was felt and acknowledged, was evidenced 
by the remark of one of his auditors : ' Such a manner 
of death,' said she, ' I cannot comprehend.' 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Illness and death of Rev. E. J. P. Messenger. 

After a week of close and anxious attendance at the 
bedside of Mrs. Patch, Dr. Perkins returned to his sta- 
tion. What must have been his feelings when he found 
his wife lying dangerously ill with yellow fever ! This 
disease is one of the most formidable to which the accli- 
mated resident is exposed ; but, in the present case, by 
the blessing of God, it was promptly arrested, and Mrs. 
Perkins was soon restored to convalescence. 

But the hand of the destroyer was not yet stayed. 
On the 20th of March, Mr. Messenger was attacked by 
the acclimating fever, which terminated fatally on the 
ninth day. The account of his last hours will be best 
given in the words of his attendant physician, Dr. Savage, 
by whom the following letter was addressed to the Se- 
cretary of the Board. 

" Fish town, April 1st, 1846. 
" By my last dates, you were informed of our gratifi- 
cation at the unexpected arrival of the Rev. E. J. P. 
Messenger. The melancholy duty now devolves upon 
me, of informing you of his sickness and death. 



278 I! > itORt op 

" On the 2Sth of January, he came to Fishtown, at the 
desire of the .Mission, to be under my charge, while pass- 
ing through the first Btages of his acclimation. Here he 
remained more than seven weeks, during - which time he 
expressed himself, daily, as well, with the occasional ex- 
ception of an affection of the back, to which he had been 
subjected for several years, and from which he suffered 
more or less pain and inconvenience. Having not yet 
seen all the members of the Mission, and desiring very 
much to be present at our regular meeting, to be held 
at Cavalla on the 26th of March, he left Fishtown on 
the morning of the 20th, for Mt. Vaughan, designing to 
preach the funeral sermon, on Sunday, of a colonist com- 
municant, and, on the Wednesday tbllowing, proceed to 
Cavalla. He rode on horseback from this to Rocktown, 
a distance of about six miles, which place he desired to 
visit, with a view to a decision either for or against it 
as his future station ; thence he went, in my boat, by 
sea, to Cape Palmas, distant, in a straight line, about 
four miles. He was made very sick by the motion of the 
boat, and, which I regretted to hear, declined the use of 
the awning, and of his umbrella. On arriving at Cape 
Palmas, he complained much of his back ; and, on that 
account, preferred walking to riding, most of the way to 
Mt. Vaughan. 

Soon after he left us, a note arrived from Mr. Payne, 
informing me that Mrs. Perkins was ill at Rockbookah. 
Thinking that Dr. Perkins might be enfeebled by his 
close attendance on Mrs. Patch during her last sickness, 
and therefore would need rny assistance, I started early 
next morning, Saturday, in my boat, for Cavalla, whence 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 279 

I proceeded, by land, immediately to Rockbookah, where 
I arrived just after dark, on the same day. I was greatly 
relieved to find Mrs. Perkins in a favorable state, though 
not out of danger, and Dr. Perkins very well. While at 
family prayers, the next morning, a man arrived from 
Mt. Vaughan with a note, stating that Mr. Messenger 
was attacked with fever. Feeling it my duty to go at 
once, I started immediately after breakfast, and travel- 
ling the whole day, in a clear hot sun, I reached "the 
bedside of our sick brother at dark ; having spent the 
Lord's day as I had never before done in Africa. I 
found nothing alarming in his case, and he continued in 
about the same state for the following three days — no 
material change occurring in his symptoms. Great tor- 
por of the system existed from the outset, which, in all 
such cases, is decidedly unfavorable. Medicines would 
not produce their specific effect. On the seventh day 
from his attack a crisis occurred, when the powers of 
life began to fail. Gradually declining, he expired on 
the ninth day. 

" Mr. Messenger's case is an anomalous one in my 
experience. It was, very clearly, a complicated one. 
What the precise nature of his dorsal affection was, pri- 
marily, I am not prepared to say. His physician in 
Philadelphia pronounced it to be lumbago, and therefore 
it would be no obstacle in his coming to Africa. In case 
it were simply lumbago, I should have given the same 
opinion. On his arrival at Mt. Vaughan, he complained 
much of his back, and made known to Mrs. Appleby 
that, the night before leaving Fishtown, he had slept 
with his window open, and, a tornado arising, the wind 



280 HISTORY OP 

blew directly and strongly upon him the whole night. 
He seemed to think that, whatever his dorsal affection 
might be, it would be the main cause of his death, and 
spoke several times, during his sickness, of suffering 
acutely from it. Whether it was primarily lumbago or 
not, I cannot say ; but one thing was evident, that the 
symptoms then existing indicated an acute affection 
within the spinal canal — I should say, 'spinal meringti- 
tis,' or inflammation in the membranes investing the 
spinal cord. 

'Great restlessness and irritation were attendant 
throughout, but his mind was clear and acti^ till with- 
in the last eighteen or twenty hours, when he became 
delirious, and expired, as we thought, in that condition. 

" It now remains for me to speak of his state of mind 
under sickness, and in view of death. And here I would 
remark, that, from the first, he manifested a calmness 
and patience under suffering, that seemed to all, beauti- 
fully illustrative of his piety. His conversation and 
whole demeanoi in view of the approach of death, were 
more like those of a man about entering upon a moment- 
ous journey, rather than his departure for the other 
world. The following is the substance of my notes, 
made as the facts transpired. 

" March 26th, Thursday. — A change for the worse 
has been perceived since two P. M. ; his pulse, from 
that time, has indicated extreme danger and approach- 
ing dissolution. At half-past five P. M. I sat down by 
his side, with a heavy heart, for now only had my hopes 
began to fail, and asked if his spiritual comfort was af- 
fected by his illness. He replied that his feelings, in this 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 281 

respect, were peculiarly pleasant, though he did not 
know but that it was owing in some measure to the 
excitement of medicine. He remarked that he had been 
in a cold, lifeless state, owing probably to a protracted, 
unpleasant voyage, which sometimes led him almost to 
doubt whether he had any interest in Christ. I then re- 
pealed, ' Look unto me and be ye saved.' He imme- 
diately replied, • O yes, I have often thought upon that 
text, and it has brought comfort to my soul. I think I 
can say that if I am taken away, I shall be with Christ. 
I rely wholly upon him ; tyz is my support.' This he 
said with marked fervor, and then added, ' But I suppose 
I ought not to talk much.' 

" Friday morning, half -past four. — He remarked 
that he felt a sinking internally, which told him that he 
could not rally, and asked my opinion of his state and 
prospects. I replied that great uncertainty attended the 
diseases of this country ; that I had seen persons, appa- 
rently sicker than he was, recover ; but still that I had 
felt, for two days past, that there was increasing danger 
in his case ; an obstinacy of symptoms existing for 
which I could not account, and medicines failing to pro- 
duce their usual effect. He seemed to study my coun- 
tenance as I spoke, and replied, apparently with great 
composure, ' Well, I have no desire on the subject, but 
leave it in God's hands, to live or die. I thought that in 
coming to Africa I was in the path of duty, and that I 
could be happy in no other field of labor. My mind is 
still unchanged, and should I now be taken away, I can 
see no reason for regretting that I came. My feelings, in 
view of death, are those of happiness, and the only re- 



ogo B [STORY OF 

gret I can have, is the discouraging effect it may have 
on others.' 1 then remarked that, as the result could 
not be foreseen, it he had any requests to leave in the 
event of death, it would be well to do it at an early pe- 
riod. He then desired to be affectionately remembered 
to certain individuals, giving their names and reside] 
then to the children of the Sunday-school of the Church 
of the Epiphany in Philadelphia : to the ladies of the 
Sewing Society of the same church, and to the members 
of the Foreign Committee. ildren of the Suti- 

day-school of the Epiphany Jiesenl an especial mess 
4 Tell them all to prepare to meet me in heaven. Some 
I hop- but tell them 1 want to meel them all 

in that happy place.' In a subsequent conversation, I 
From your remark, thai the only regret you can 
have in case of your death, is the discouraging effect it 
may exert upon others, 1 inter that it is your opinion 
that the Mission should still he energetically sustained. 
1 yes !' was the quick reply, and there was a fervor in 
the language of the dying man thai gave to the senti- 
ment, in my mind, the solemnity and importance of eter- 
nity. 1 < fess that when one and another of our num- 
ber tails, or withdraws, there is a possibility, if not a 
probability, thai our labors will result in failure; only, 
however i through ■/raging effect upon others. 

Conceive, then, if you can, what strength and encour 
agement such declarations bring home to our hearts. 
' yes !' he continued, ' a great work has already been 
done, and a greater still is to be done. I have looked 
upon it as, by far, the most interesting Mission of the 
Church, and now second only to China ; yes, it ought 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 933 

to be sustained, but ivhere are the men to come from V 
' From God,' was my only reply. ' Yes, from God,' 
continued he ; ' the Lord will raise them up when it is 
time to do it.' ».*#-#*-###-•,'##* 

" On Friday afternoon he entertained the idea that 
he should rally and recover, but, before night, he gave 
up all such hope. At half-past six, he exclaimed, ' 
for grace for a dying hour ! I then repeated some texts, 
such as, ' Ask and ye shall receive' — ' Look unto me and 
be saved' — ' As thy day, so shall thy strength be,' &c. 
He replied, ' Tell the children of your school, that that 
is my message to them, ' Look unto me and be ye 
saved.' I have told them that again and again, and 
now I find it my only support. Give my love to Mrs. 
Savage, and tell her to persevere in faith, and her re- 
ward will come hereafter.' I continued to repeat such 
passages a» I thought appropriate, to which he added, 
with fervor, 'And, casting all thy care upon the Lord, 
for he careth for thee.' 

" At another time, with his arms extended upon the 
bed, and looking upward, he said, ' Ah, here I lie, a poor, 
weak, unprofitable servant, weak in body and mind.' I 
asked, ' Can you not lean upon the arm of the Lord, an 
everlasting arm, now extended to you V He quickly 
answered, ' yes, I do lean upon it !' and then, after a 
short pause, ' I cast all my care upon the Lord, for he 
careth for me.' Again, ' 0, it is a comforting thought 
that I shall leave all my sins behind !' 

" I read, at intervals, selected passages from the 
eighth chapter of Romans. When I came to the 38th 
and 39th verses, ' For I am persuaded that neither 



- ; R I STORY Of 

death nor life shall be able to separate us from the 
love of God which is in Christ Jesus,' he responded fer- 
vently and impressively, 'Amen.' After some moments 
of apparent meditation and prayer, he turned to me, with 
I Bweel expression of countenance, and said, 'Read to 
me Borne more of those precious promises.' I then read 
selections from the fourteenth chapter of St. John and 
the 27th Psalm, in which he Beemed to take delight. 

"Again, after repeating the 25th and 26th verses of 
the 11th chapter of St. John's Gospel, ' I am the resur- 
reetion ami the lite : he that believeth in me, though he 
were dead, yet .-hall he live, and whosoever liveth and 

believeth in me, shall never die 1 — 1 said, ' Believest thou 
this?' He replied, with great solemnity, 'I believe; 
Lord, help thou my unbelief!' 

" At another time, he said, ' I know that Jesus 
Christ died for me, and on this I rely !' 

" Throughout Friday, he was very free in conversa- 
tion, and highly edifying. To Mrs. Appleby, who showed, 
in many ways, the kindness and unwearied sympathy of 
a Christian woman, as she endeavored to restrain him 
from too much talking, he said, ' I feel that I must talk ; 
my time is short, and I must spend it for Christ ; we 
ought to do all we can to glorify him who has done so 
much for us.' Much more was said, but surely this is 
enough for all who knew him, to show that he died glo- 
rying in the Cross. 

" Mr. Messenger expired at twenty minutes past 
four on Saturday morning. 

" March 28th, 1846. — Dr. Savage adds, 'The close 
was a painful scene, and did I not believe that the 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 2S5 

p- wers of life, the susceptibilities of the system were ob- 
t inded, or mercifully reduced at such a moment, I should 
ay that his corporeal sufferings were extreme. 

"In what we know of his life, and in his last sick- 
ness, we have good hope in his death ; we doubt not 
lhat he is accepted with God iu the Beloved, and there- 
lore, that our loss is his greatest gain. I can bear full 
testimony to his Christian character while he was a 
member of my family. In all his intercourse with us 
and the native population around us, he shed the sweet 
fragrance of a life wholly given to God. All in our 
household and schools loved him ; and I do not believe 
there is an eye among us which has not paid its sincere 
tribute to his cherished memory. Sobs were heard, and 
tears flowed, while, on the morning after his burial, 
Sunday, I delivered to the assembled schools his dying 
message, ' Look unto me and be ye saved.' I have told 
them this again and again, and now I find it my sup- 
port. It was a truly impressive occasion. Only two 
weeks before, he whose dying words I was then deliver- 
ing, stood in that very place, apparently in perfect 
health, entreating that very auditory to flee unto Christ 
and be saved. His past exhortations and instructions 
came up to the mind with effect, and I cannot doubt 
that the blessing of God will follow his brief labors 
among us. The impression he made upon the native 
population around us may, in some degree, be appre- 
hended, from the fact that, on my return from Mt. 
Vaughan, the old Chief and his most influential head- 
men waited upon me, and expressed their sympathy at 
the loss of my brother ; and others of subordinate rank did 
the same, all as one saying, ' Ah, that was a good man.' " 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Sentiments of the missionaries under these trials — Baptism of native con- 
verts — Results of the Mission — Permanent grounds of encouragement. 

It is not to be supposed that the remaining members of 
the little missionary band, thus afflicted and bereaved, 
should be unmoved by these repeated trials ; but their 
chief anxiety was, as Mr. Messenger's had been, lest the 
Church at home should be discouraged. The Rev. Mr. 
Herring expressed the sentiments of all his associates, 
when he wrote as follows : " This visitation of an all- 
wise Providence has produced among us no feeling of 
despondency, no relaxation of effort. Indeed, when we 
behold our comrades thus falling by our side, and realize 
the frail tenure of our own lives, the motive becomes 
more urgent to do, with all our might, the work which 
is before us. All that we ask is, that the Church shall 
remain faithful to her responsibilities ; if those whom 
she has sent to lead a forlorn hope fall with their armor 
around them, let her commission others for the contest." 
The same missionary records, as evidence of the en- 
couragement which still cheered them in the midst of 
their trials, the baptism of five native converts at his 
own station, on one occasion. This interesting event 
took place at Easter, April 12th, 1846, and several in- 
stances are given of the faithfulness and zeal of these 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 287 

young disciples. On the same day. an adult Krooman, 
who had embraced the faith of the Gospel under circum- 
stances of peculiar trial, was baptized at Fishtown ; and 
a few months later, Mr. Payne admitted to the congre- 
gation of Christ's flock, three of the pupils at CavaJla. 
! if one soul exceed in value the wealth of the whole 
world, was not all that had been done and suffered am- 
ply repaid ? 

After mentioning some who had been trained in 
the Mission schools and w ere now employed as assistants 
and teachers, Mr. Payne remarks : " Nor does a view 
of such as have been qualified for teachers, show all that 
has been accomplished by the Mission schools. They 
have been the means of raising up the assistants, who in 
various capacities relieve the missionaries, and by their 
example, as well as employment, give form and strength 
to the cause of Christianity and civilization. In the 
place of an illiterate, heathen interpreter and translator, 
I have an educated and Christian one. Instead of hav- 
ing to purchase provisions for the station, as at first, at 
the sacrifice of one half of my valuable time, to serve 
tables, all this is now done by a Christian native. One 
youth, by devoting his attention to a mechanical depart- 
ment during the hours of labor required from all the 
pupils, has become quite a good carpenter. He repairs 
the houses on the Mission premises, and, with the ex- 
ception of thatching, has built entirely four houses, in- 
habited by native youths, now grown to adult years and 
married. Another, formerly a member of the boarding 
school, in connexion with an adult native communicant, 
carries on a blacksmith's forge on the premises. In this 



OgQ H ! STORY OF 

are made a variety of articles needed in the Mission, and 
also such tools as are used by the natives in tilling their 
rice fields. These things are exchanged for rice for the 
use of the Mission, at BUch a price as to pay the artisan, 
and also the expenses of the shop; so that two families 

arre supported, and a useful trade introduced, without any 
expense to the Mis-ion, and but little to the missionary." 
. The fact here referred to, that pupils had grown up 
under the instruction of th<' missionaries, are now mar- 
rying and Bottling down around the stations, thus form- 
ing the nucleus of Christian towns, is full of prom; 
the next generation. 

In December of this year. Dr. Savage was compelled, 
by continued ill health, to resign his station and with- 
draw permanently from the Mission. Dr. Perkins and 
his wile took charge of the station at Fishtown, and 
Mr. and Mrs. Appleby removed to Rockbookah, leaving 
the school at Mt. Vaughan in the care of Mrs. Thomp- 
son, who had recently returned from a visit to the United 

In November, 1847, the Rev. Mr Honing, having 
been thrice brought to the verge of the grave by re- 
peated attacks of fever, was compelled to seek renewed 
strength in his native land. "We cannot better conclude 
this little volume than by an extract from an Address 
delivered by him before the Virginia Convention, at Nor- 
folk, June, 1846. 

' It cannot be expected that an enterprize like this, 
should present an unvarying aspect. It has its lights 
and its shadows — its periods of prosperity and of adver- 
sity. Our Mission has passed through many seasons of 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 289 

depression — I would, therefore, the more earnestly urge 
upon the Church the grounds of encouragement. 

" I would notice as the first ground of encourage- 
ment, that no opposition whatever, either political or 
religious, is offered to the preaching of the Gospel. Com- 
pared with other Missions of the Church, ours is, in this 
respect, peculiarly favored. In China and Constantinople 
the Gospel has to encounter the hostility of a bigoted 
and intolerant priesthood. In Greece it meets with un- 
compromising opposition from the jealousies of the civil 
government. But, as wedded as the African is to his 
superstitions, he permits them to be assailed without 
resentment. Neither the missionary nor the converts 
have, at any time, been called to suffer persecution. 
We are fully at liberty to present the truth to their 
minds in the way of God's appointment. What though 
that truth has as yet produced but little effect upon the 
heart and conscience ! Can we doubt that it will ulti- 
mately prove the power of God unto salvation ? Do not 
the Scriptures assure us that ' faith cometh by hearing,' 
and that the preached Word is 'the sword of the Spirit?' 
In the free use then, of a means which God himself has 
ordained, we may confidently look for a blessing. And 
in some instances, my brethren, that blessing has been 
obtained. Yes ! the African has been converted ! The 
chain which Infinite Mercy has let down, has reached 
the profoundest abyss of mental and moral degradation. 
And if along that chain one, aye ! but one, immortal and 
benighted spirit, has regained its pathway to heaven, 
who shall count the multitude who shall yet join in the 
triumphal song of the Lamb : ' Thou hast redeemed unto 
13 



290 HISTORY OF 

God by thy blood, out of every#tongue, and kindred, and 
people, and. nation, and has made us kings and priests 
unto God.' 

" I would notice as another ground of encouragement, 
that we have free access to the infant mind. Parents read- 
ily place their children under the instruction of the mis- 
sionaries, and in doing so, they often make use of ex- 
pressions like these : ' We are too old to change our cus- 
toms, but we give you our children; take them and 
teach them what you please.' It is true, that the parents 
have no higher motive than to have their children quali- 
fied, by a knowledge of English, to act as tradesmen ; 
but be the motive what it may, the result is the same. 
The child, once received into the Mission school, becomes 
a participant in all the blessings of a Christian education. 
He is trained up ' in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord,' and instances are frequent, where this early train- 
ing has resulted in permanent, religious conviction. Un- 
til the truth has had its influence upon their hearts, we 
are liable to lose these pupils, through the anxiety of 
their parents to make their knowledge of the English 
available in trade ; but when once brought under the 
power of the Gospel, their attachments to the Mission 
remains firm and constant, and neither threats nor per- 
suasions can induce them to leave it. I cannot too 
strongly urge upon the Church the importance of afford- 
ing to these young converts facilities for pursuing their 
studies in the higher branches of learning and theology. 
The training of a native ministry has always been re- 
garded as an object of paramount importance, by those 
acquainted with the nature of this field. For this pur- 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 291 

pose, a High-school should at once be established. 
There are several young men at the different stations, 
not only willing, but anxiously waiting to enter upon 
such a course of study. 

"It has been my privilege to place the baptismal 
seal upon some of these young converts. They have 
manifested their sincerity by their zeal for the conversion 
of their countrymen. They have persevered in their 
efforts, undaunted by ridicule, and, in some instances, by 
threatened persecution. On one occasion, I despatched 
my trade-man to Bassa, on business connected with my 
station. Or his return, 1 questioned him as to incidents 
of his journey, and I was delighted to find that he had 
not only carried his Bible with him, and introduced the 
subject of religion wherever business had called him, 
but had even gone a half-day's journey out of his way, to 
make known to his benighted countrymen ' tht unsearch- 
able riches of Christ.' One of the compamons of Hini's 
journey related to me the following incident He said, 
that a native became so incensed at Hini's remonstrances 
against the folly and wickedness of his superstitions, that 
he came, by night, to the hut in which he lodged, with 
the intention of beating him. The fearless composure of 
the young disciple disarmed his resentment, and forced 
him to exclaim, in astonishment, ' What greegree do 
you wear, that you dare do these things V 'I wear no 
greegree,' was the beautiful reply, ' but I believe in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ.' Thus is Ethiopia 
sending forth her own sons ' to the help of the Lord 
against the mighty.' She is forging, within her own 



292 HISTORY OF 

bosom, the weapons which are to annihilate her strong 
holds of ignorance and superstition. 

" But it has been objected that the results of this 
Mission upon the mass, have not equalled the expecta- 
tions nf the Church — that they have not repaid the 
large expenditure of life and oi' treasure. It is true, that 
but few adults, unconnected with the Mission, have 
openly embraced the Gospel : yet, even here, we are not 
without encouragement. The Lever of divine truth, 
with quiet, but resistless energy, is gradually undermining 
the foundations of error. The faith of many, in their 
superstitions, is evidently Bhaken ; they cling less fondly 
to their idolatries, and thus the way IS gradually pre- 
paring for the ultimate and yet more glorious triumphs 
of the Cross. ************ 

11 But disease and death have done their work in the 
African Mission, and it has beeu questioned ' whether 
this horrible waste of human life is longer necessary.' 
I may here remark, that the proportion of deaths in our 
own Mission has been remarkably small. Compared 
with similar institutions on the coast, ours has been 
eminently prosperous. The whole number of whites 
employed since its establishment is twenty. Of these 
six only have died, and two from diseases not attributa- 
ble to the climate. ******** * * 

"Will not the Church furnish the men and the 
means for the more vigorous prosecution of this work ? 
We repeat that encouragement is not wanting. Al- 
ready, a sunbeam here and there, hath brightened the 
prospect — and lo ! the horizon gleams with one streak, 
at least, of unclouded promise. ' Ethiopia shall stretch 



THE AFRICAN MISSION. 293 

forth her hands unto God.' The day advances ; and, 
though it may not reach its meridian height before ' the 
glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,' 
Avill it not be a blessed privilege, to have scattered one 
cloud of error and helped to prepare the way of our 
God ! ; ' 



APPENDIX. 



Perhaps nothing has so much retarded the Missionary work in 
Africa, as the opinion, generally entertained, of the effect of the 
climate upon the European constitution. This is regarded by 
many as so inevitably fatal, as to oppose an insuperable barrier 
to the labors of the white man in that extensive field. Although 
the subject has been incidentally noticed in the foregoing pages, 
the writer deems its importance a sufficient apology for introduc- 
ing the following testimony from sources entitled to the highest 
respect 

In his journal of January, 1846, Dr. Savage remarks, that 
since his arrival, nine years before, the whole number of laborers 
employed by different denominations had been sixty -one ; and 
continues : " The whole number that have died is twenty, seven 
females and thirteen males; four of whom were from south, and 
fourteen from north of the Potomac ; two were natives of England. 
The deaths in the case of the males are nearly two to one of 
females, contradicting the frequent declaration that the climate is 
more fatal to the constitution or system of the latter than to that of 
the former. Nothing particular need be said respecting the causes 
and circumstances operating in the cases of those who have died. 
This may be stated, that several cases might be mentioned, in 
which other influences might be assigned than those of the 
climate as the direct cause of their death ; the majority, however, 
were undoubtedly victims of a climate more or less unfavorable 
to all foreign systems. * * * * The truth is, that the whole 
West Coast of Africa is an unhealthful portion of the globe ; and 



296 APPENDIX. 

whoever resides here must have the standard of health lowered 
more or less in all cases. The native of West Africa has not the 
same degree of health and strength as his brother of the 6ame 
complexion in temperate climes. If not the native, then surely 
not the colonist, coming from more healthful parts of the United 
States ; which is found to be the ease. I have never found but 
two who would say that they had the same degree of strength 
here as in America, anil they, 1 know, cannot make the same 
declaration, with truth, now. There are many diseases, and much 
death from disease among the native population, as well as among 
other classes of residents in West Africa. But this does not 
prove that the white man cannot live here. He has, does, and 
can live for years, and is accomplishing a great work for futurity ; 
a work that will be equal to thirty, forty, and fifty years of human 
life in other lands.'' 

The following observations are extracted from an excellent 
tract by the Rev. John Leighton Wilson, entitled, " The Agency 
devolving on White men in Missions to Western Africa." 

" The insalubrity of the climate has been, and I presume ever 
will be, to a less or greater extent, a serious hindrance to the 
progress of the gospel in Western Africa; and this difficulty 
exists, be it known, irrespective of the kind of agency that may 
be employed in carrying it on. For the colored man from the 
United States is as sore to feel the effects of the climate, as the 
white man ; and if the physical constitution of the former possesses 
some advantage in adapting itself more readily to the climate, I 
am not sure but the other will have equally as much advantage 
in his Buperior discretion and the precautionary measures which 
he will practice to preserve his health. 

"The difficulty, however, in either case, has been unduly mag- 
nified ; and so far as it has had the practical effect to turn away 
the attention of candidates for the ministry from Africa, it has 
had the tendency, not only to unsettle their own moral courage, 
but greatly to aggravate the wrongs of an oppressed and injured 
people. 

"I have remarked, that the unhealthiness of the climate has 






APPENDIX. 297 

been exaggerated, and have now to show the foundation upon 
which this opinion rests. 

" The Christian public in this country has had no means of 
forming a judgment on the subject, except by the number of 
deaths that have occurred among their missionaries ; and these 
have been paraded before the public mind by the opposers of 
African missions with such studied care, that no one case has 
failed to produce its full effect. 

" Now whilst no one can be more sensible than ourselves of 
the extent and severity of these losses, we feel that it has been 
specially unfortunate for the cause of truth and humanity, that 
the attendant circumstances and collateral causes of most of 
these calamities, have not been made equally prominent at the 
same time. 

" And first, there are certain points along the coast of Africa, 
as in all other countries, that, by local causes, have been rendered 
more unhealthy than the country generally. Of these, none are 
supposed to be more so, than Sierra Leone and Cape Mesurado. 
I do not remember ever to have heard a dissent from this opinion 
by a single individual, whose judgment was entitled to respect ; 
and yet it is from statistics of sickness and mortality that have 
occurred at these two places chiefly, that the public, both in 
England and America, have derived their impressions of the un- 
healthiness of the country at large. 

" But there are other and still weightier considerations. 

" I allude to the peculiar difficulties and trials, in which most 
of the missions to Africa have had their origin. 

" It will be borne in mind, that all of them, except those of 
Sierra Leone and Gambia, have been founded within the last fif- 
teen years. The places selected for most of these were not only 
on new and unbroken ground, so far as all missionary influence 
was concerned, but many of them were located in the bosom of 
heathen tribes who had enjoyed scarcely any intercourse with the 
civilized world. Most of the missionaries were pioneers in a diffi- 
cult undertaking. They were unfurnished with missionary 
experience, and in many instances they were without the aid of 



298 APPENDIX. 

Christian counsel. They found themselves, at the commencement 
of their labors, among a people who could not comprehend the 
object of their mission, and who regarded all their professions of 

friendship and disinterestedness with distrust. They were igno- 
rant ui* the native character, and it required ranch labor to 
r their barbarous languages, through which alone they 
could arrive at correct knowledge of their character, or hope ts 
influence their minds. In many instances, they were without 
medical aid, and in others, when physicians were at hand, thorn 
physicians themselves were inexperienced in the treatment of 
African diseases; and in every case, the missionaries were pressed 
down by the care-;, anxieties and responsibilities incident to all 
new Doussiottfl. Bo that when all these things are taken into 
the account, we almost wonder that the mortality has not been 
greater; we almost marvel that any have escaped. 

" But this perilous crisis, we believe, has been passed. The 
most formidable obstacles have been removed, and the missionary 
work, it i< believed, will henceforth move forward more easily 
and with less sacrifice of life. Missionaries in that country, not- 
withstanding their losses, their reverses, their afflictions and 
bereavements, have been sustained in their work, and obtained a 
firm footing on many points along that coast. A large amount 
of missionary experience has been acquired; the roughness of 
native character has been smoothed down ; the habits, customs, 
and feelings of the natives are better understood by the mission- 
aries, and the objects of the missionaries are better understood by 
the natives. Many of the most difficult dialects of the country 
have been reduced to writing, and now serve, not only as easy 
and direct channels of conveying religious truth to the minds of 
the people, but will serve as a clue to the acquisition of all other 
languages in the country. Missionaries going to that country 
hereafter, will find missionary brethren on the ground to welcome 
them and give them all needed counsel and aid. In this way 
they will escape much of the wasting care and anxieties that 
were unavoidable at the commencement of this undertaking. 
They may now go to that country with the reasonable prospect 



APPENDIX. 299 

of living, and if they cannot calculate upon enjoying the same 
amount of vigorous and elastic health, that they would in their 
native country, they may at least expect to have strength enough 
to proclaim the unsearchable riches of the gospel to thousands of 
their fellow men, who are perishing for the want of it. There is 
a reasonable prospect that white missionaries, provided they are 
endowed with the faith, the courage and the perseverance befitting 
their high calling, may live in that country to establish Christian 
churches there, which will be able, in due time, not only to sus- 
tain themselves, but to communicate their blessings to the re- 
motest regions of that benighted continent. 

" But it has been affirmed and re-affirmed, that white men 
cannot live in that country. And who are they that maintain 
tliis opinion so confidently ? Men of the world ? No ! They live 
there, and labor there, and make money there, notwithstanding 
all this outcry about the unheal thiness of the country. 

" Without pretending to give precise statistics, we presume 
that we are strictly in the bounds of truth, when we say that the 
number of whites residing on that coast, and on islands adjacent 
to that coast, cannot be less than three thousand. If we add to 
this the floating population, engaged in commerce and in the sup- 
pression of the slave-trade, the whole population cannot be less 
than eight or ten thousand. 

" In spite of the reputed unheal thiness of the country, Euro- 
pean governments can find officers to govern their civil establish- 
ments, and soldiers to garrison their fortifications. Merchants in 
Europe and America can find men, not only to sail their vessels 
in those seas, but they have their agents on shore — aye ! and as 
many of them as they wish — to gather around them the rich pro- 
ducts of the country. Science, too, finds no difficulty in getting 
agents to carry on her researches in those regions. And we may 
add to all this, that there is a considerable number of individuals 
of affluence, who reside in that country as a matter of preference. 

" But what is the missionary corps among all these ? They 
do not form the one-hundredth part of the whole. And what is 
the inference ? What is the verdict that posterity will pronounce 



300 APPENDIX. 

upon this strange fact I It can be nothing else than that motives 
of gain and worldly ambition are a hundred fold more powerful, 
in the present age, than all the zeal and love of the Christian 
churches ef the same period. 

" Let us pursue this humiliating comparison a step further. 

"The number of Protestant missionaries residing on the coast 
of Africa has never, at any period, been half so great as that of 
those who have resided there for the purpose of carrying on the 
Blave-trade. Here then is u class of men, who, in opposition to 
every dictate <>f conscience and humanity; in defiance of all the 
great powers <>f ihc earth; in the midst of cares, perplexities, and 
disappointments that Beldom fall to the lot of any other set of 
men ; — find it practicable to live in that country, and not only so, 
but at the most insalubrious points, and among the most savage 
i the COWt And can any inference be drawn from this 
fact that shall not fasten reproach upon the followers of the Sa- 
viour? Are we -willing that history shall record the fact, that 
ungodly men live in Africa, to degrade and ruin her sons and 
daughters, but that Ave cannot live there to rescue them from 
everlasting destruction. 

" We have little or no hesitation in saying, that if the Church 
of Christ had, during the two last centuries, made one half the 
effort to christianize Africa, that men of the world have to de- 
grade and to ruin her. long ere this that entire continent, instead 
of being proverbial as it now is for ignorance and idolatry, would 
have been filled with the light and the blessings of the gospel. 
And we have as little hesitation in predicting, that, if the 
churches will henceforth make efforts somewhat commensurate 
with those that are likely to be made by the world to draw out 
her commercial resources, the present century shall not pass away 
before Africa, yes, miserable, degraded Africa, shall be brought 
under the power and the dominion of the gospel. Faith and 
courage and patient perseverance, under the guidance of the 
Holy Ghost, will assuredly triumph over every difficulty, be it 
imaginary, or be it real. 



OLD CHURCH BOOKSTORE. 



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Society. Ill— The Ministry Christ's Positive Institution. IV — The Chris- 
tian .Ministry oonsisling «'t" Three Orders. V — Same subject coulinued 
VI — Bame subject continued. VJI — Development! of Modern Systems. 
VIII — The Doily of the Church, and the Sin and Evils of Schtim. IX — 
Liturgies. X — Popular Objections against the Church answered. Appendix 
— Essay oo the Doctrine <d Development 

"We arc fried U) see tbil book It il one <>i" the kind which the a?c requires, and wo 
arc happy l" beli L'n.:. i her." arc riri">t minds and honest hearts, in 

every religious denomination, who roirim- oui 01' the divisions i i ■ fSristen- 

don and who are seriously inquiring whether these timro ought to be. The result of 
such an investigation, undertaken with such a purp«»*» Mu hardly be doubtful. It will 
b" a conviction that '(..o.i i- not the author of confusion out of order;' that He has 
instituted but one Body as the Church ; and that all who arc not in communion with this 
Body, Of which Christ is the head, arc in what the Scriptures call schism. Having arrived 
at this point, the vital question comes, what is tbe Church? Where can he found those 
signs of a Divinely orgaJuwd Body, which, originating in the appointment of Christ* has 
continued to this day, and tlm- gives assurance that he has been with it according to his 
promise, is with it, and will continue to be with it, 'even unto the end of the world?' To 
those who are seeking for instruction, that their judgment may be guided to a right deter- 
mination of tins question, we recommend this timely book. The subject of it is, 'The 
Chli.ci; ok (ioD; its Visibility, Ministiiy, Unity, and Worship.' 

'•Wo are glad to sec that the reverend author has devoted one chapter to the ' Develop- 
ments of Modern Systems.' The argument derived from this subject is calculated more 
than any other, we think, to lead men to discover the errors and unsoundness, and insuffi- 
ciency of those systems. They cannot stand, in the judgment of sober-minded seekers 
titer truth, with their divisions, vaseiUations and heresies; before the Scriptural truth. 
Apistolic order, regular Succession, and uninterrupted continuance of the 'Holy Catholic 
Church.' " — Banner of the Croat 



WHAT IS CRISTiANITY? 

BY THOMAS VOWLER SHORT, 
One volume. 12mo. 50c. 

"Indistinctness on religious subjects is a great evil, particularly to the young; but the- 
ological clearness does not always lead to Christian edification and practical holiness. It 
has been the endeavor of the author to combine distinct views on the leading teuets ol 
Christianity with that earnestness, without which religion is apt to dwindle, into a mere 
form. He has tried to place before his readers not words only, but ideas- to irive them 
that which might guide tliein in the path to heave!: — to imp ret* en them 'iie fundatOOBtaJ 
truths of our holy faith — and to p»»int out ho* ti ■- r'-ntli »hu tl I ?> « :'<.■■■:, iti ttdiicts in itw 
oceurrecces or iifc." 



Valuable Works, published by Stanford fy Sujrds. 
MEMOIRS OF MRS. ELIZABETH FRY, 

INCLUDING 

A HISTORY OF HER LABORS 

IN PROMOTING 

THE REFORMATION OF FEMALE PRISONERS, 

AND THE 

IMPROVEMENT OF BRITISH SEAMEN, 

BY THE 

REV. THOMAS TIMPSON, 

Honorary Secretary to the British and Foreign Sailors' Society 

One volume. 12?no. 75c. 

"An interesting sketch of the life, labors, and death of one who was numbered with the 
•alt of the earth. In works of love, she was most abundant. She toiled with indefatiga- 
ble zeai, for the benefit of her sex, exploring the darkness of dungeons, and diffusing 
through them the light and influence of her own lovely and tender spirit." — Episcopiu 
Recorder. 

" Mrs. Fry was one of those unselfish beings, whose sole object in life seems to be to dc 
good, to the full extent of the means and opportunities with which God has blessed them. 
Her arduous labors in effecting reform in prisons, were no less earnest and successful than 
her exertions in behalf of the seamen of Great Britari, a class whose moral and spiritual 
interests, had been, until her day, shamefully neglected. This volume exhibits the incep- 
tion, progress and results of her benevolent enterprises, and is tilled with matter of rare 
interest to the Christian and philanthropist. It deserves a wide circulation." — Protestant 
Churchman. 

" She lived a life of active benevolence, however, which may be usefully contemplated 
and copied by tho.se of a sounder faith. By her numberless journies to visit the abodes of 
the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned, and hy her ceaseless efforts to ameliorate their con- 
dition, she earned the well-deserved name of ' the female Howard.' Her useful career is 
well portrayed in this volume." — Calendar. 

" The extraordinary character of Mrs. Fry, and her unparalleled labors exerted to pro- 
mote the reformation of female prisoners, and the improvement of British seamen, have 
earned for her a reputation throughout Great. Britan and Europe, second only to that of 
the philanthropist Howard. Mr. Tinnpson's Memoir is a brief hut comprehensive tribute 
to her virtues and worth, by one who was associated with her in some department oi'phi 
lanthropic service." — Gazette <^ Times. 

"Some time ago we announced the intention of the New-York publishers to reproduce 
this work fiom the English edition. Their purpose is now fulfilled, and no doubt the phi- 
lanthropic reader will greatly prize this memorial of a lady who, beyond all her feinalo 
contemporaries, was in labors of benevolence abundant. The Americas edition, with the 
exception th&-. it has no portrait, is nearly or quite equal to the English and at a less price. 
The admirable system with which Mrs. Fry prosecuted her labors is bejondall praise 
and if the work wrought no other purpose than furnishing such an example of order intlwi 
prosecution of multifarious duty, it would amply repay the purchase. But its usofulnos* 
is by no nutans confined to thai single fee-wre."— -N. Y. Commercial Advertiser. 



Vaf (bit Work.?, published by Stanford .y Swords. 

JACKSON'S REMAINS. 
THE LIFE AND REMAINS 

OF Tin: 

IIEV. WILLIAM JACKSON, 

LATE RECTOR OP BT. PAUL'S CHURCH, LOUISVILLE 

■with A 

BRIEF SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AND CHARAQTO 

it v t ii 1: 

REV. WM. M. JAGKSON. 

One handsome volume. 8vo. $1,75. 

u The lift of a laborious and devoted clergyman, presents few incident* t* ».n tin? 
attention <>(" those a ho read for j»;i^t i iT»f, or mere mental excitement Hut to :>l) i «<> love 
to contemplate pure character, profound and earnest piety, and thorough devotwa to the 
servii f Christ a record like t! te before us, is rich in attractions. 

• Many of our r>> iders will recognize every line of the faithful portraiture here pre- 
vented. The Ri \ Mr. Jackson was for many vei rs Rector of Si Stephen's Church, in 
>his city, and in thai position Ins faithful, judicious, zealous, and Belf-denying exertions 
vera eminently blessed. Memoriali of in- earnest ministry, his humble, saintly life, and 
k ■■mil. nit labors for Christ and the Church are written in many hearts in our midst, as 
*>■!! as in that distant field were his I pent He has left behind him a re- 

•uiation which every parochial clergyman may well covet as bis best legacy to the Church, 

" To say thai the volume before u> i- full of interest for the Christian reader, would lie 
o speak far too coldly of its merits, [tie replete with instruction of that high character 
which arrests the intellect while it subdues the heart. It is the more valuable, inasmuch 
w it consists chiefly <>f the sermons and other instructions of the Christian pastor, whose 
memorial to the Church it is, stamped with fresh and living interest so thai as we road, it 
i« sometimes hard to realize, that the lips that uttered them arc now closed in death, and 
that the soul from which they sprang h-<- gone to it- reward. ' Being dead he yet *pcak- 
etli ;' and happy will it lie for US all. if amidst the excitements and distractions of tlicsa 
imes, the exc< llcnl counsels of our departed brother shall impress us with a more solemn 
sense ofthe exalted duties and awful responsibilities of the ministry of reconciliation in the 
Church ofthe living God."— Protestant Churchman. 

"This is the title of a 1 ir.-e, handsomely printed volume, from the press of Stanford and 
Pwords, containing a brief biographical memoir of the late Rector of St. Paul's Churcl., 
Louisville, Ky., together with extracts from his letters, the sermon preached on occasion ol 
his funeral, by Bishop Smith, minutes of conversation, sermons, and various fragments, the 
collection and publication of which was earnestly desired by a large number of hs friends 
and parishioner-. 

laracter which is described in this volume is eminently that of a Christian irtrwis 
ter, and though the seeker after bold adventure, or vivid incident, may not find within iU 
pages the material for gratifying his peculiar tastes, the record of a good man's life cannot 
be read without interest or profit, even though there be little in it of the startling or the 
adventurous. We earnestly commend this volume therefore to the attention of our read- 
ers." — Eceniitg- Gazettt. 

"This is the title ol a very handsome octave volume, which has been recently published 
in New-York. It is well printed ou fine paper, and is embellished with a portrait which 
will strike al! who remember how the lamented original looked, as an excellent likeness 
The volume consists of a memoir of Mr. Jackson, a selection from his sermons and lettors, 
and extracts from his writings. It is a worthy tribute to the memory of a good man la 
this community no recommendation is necessary to induce persons to purchase such a vol 
time. Of course his numerous friends and admirers will hasten to supply themselves with 
eopies of ttu work "-^Louisville Journal. 



Valuable World, published by Stanford $? Swords. 

MANX'S HAPPINESS OF THE BLESSED 
THE HAPPINE£S k O*F THE BLESSED 

THE PARTICULARS OF THEIR STATE ; 

THEIR RECOGNITION OF EACH OTHER IN THAT STATE 

AND ITS DIFFERENCE OF DEGREES. 

TO WHICH AKE ADDED 

MUSINGS ON THE CHURCH 

AND HER SERVICES. 

BY RICHARD MANT, D.D., 

LORD BISHOP OF DOWN AND CONNOR. 

One volume. 12mo. 75c. 

" We would have this volume find its way into every Christian family where there is 
one person that can read. If scriptural truth and warm devotion can commend a hook, 
this will not be neglected. 

" Bishop Mant as a poet is not duly appreciated. Whether this arises from a distaste 
for the Sonnet, or from an idea that he has merely imitated Wordsworth, it is equally a 
mistake. His sonnets are geuerally carefully constructed, and seldom lacking in elevation 
of sentiment. They sometimes, it is true, are not so well compacted and pointed as the 
form requires, but this is owing to the didactic tone which many of their subjects neces- 
sitate. Above all they are full of the genuine Anglican feeling which Wordsworth often 
does not display. The reader of the 'Musings' will, we think, feel that this series is 
more animated by a Church spirit than Wordsworth's." — Churchman. 

" Sound in doctrine, rich in thought, beautiful in style, and devotional in its character, 
this work ranks among the choicest specimens of English Theological literature. It has 
already become endeared to thousands of Christian Churchmen, with whom, like ' Scenes 
in our Parish,' and the ' Christian Year,' it is a household volume." — Calendur. 

"No Christian can read this volume without having his intelligent faith and hope, 
strengthened and confirmed. Whatever difference of opinion may exist on points of ec- 
clesiastical policy, or even upon doctrines, such books as this form a point of attraction 
where the redeemed of every Christian creed can meet in peace and harmony, and sit 
together at the threshold of heaven to talk of their future union where sebts and parties 
will be unknown. There is that in Bishop Mant's style which commands the reader's un- 
wearied interest." — Commercial. 



MANPS HOR/E LlTURGICv<E. 

k GUIDE TO UNIFORMITY* IN THE CELELRATION 

OF DIVINE SERVICE. 

BY THE RT. REV. RICHARD MANT, D. D., 

LORD BISHOP OF DOWN AND CONNOR. 

WITH ADDITIONS, TO ADAPT IT TO THE AMERICAN CHURCH, 

BY THE REV. W. D. WILSON, M. A. 
One Volume. 12mo. 75c. 

'* We earnestly commend this volume to the attention of tiie clergy ol the Church, at 
a work the want of which has been long felt, particularly in this country. Bishop Mant 
has ably fulfilled the task imposed upon himself, and the Notes and Additions of the 
American editor are judicious and commendable. We trust that those who are just en- 
tering upon their sacred calling, will give heed to the counsels of this volume, that they 
may beg-in aright, and that the beautiful fabric of our liturgy, bequeathed by the noble 
army of martyrs and confessors, may present that beaut) of uniformity which they in- 
tended, uudisfigured by the crude notions of those who would gild refined gold, or paint 
the lily. ' 



Devotional Works, published by Stanford Sr Sworas. 



TREATISE ON THE LORD'S SUPPER, 

D ES l« X E D IV S A GU I D K A \ 1 > 

COMPANION TO THE HOLY COMMUNION. 
BY THE REV. EDWARD BICKERSTETH, 

Edited, and adapted to the &. the Protestant Episcopal Chunk 

in the United States, 

BY THE REV. LEWIS P. VV. RALCH, 

Rector of St. Bartholomew's Church, N. V. 
One handsome volume. 12/no. 75c. 
CONTKNT8.— Part I.— Chap. l. Tfce Appointment of the Lord's 8upj» f 
—2. The Atonemenl made by tiie Deatb ofChrisI — 3. Our Faith inChrfafi 
Atonement — 1. On the New Covenant — '». The Design of the Lord's St'pper 
~-6. The Obligation to Receive the Lord's Supper — 7. Answers to t'/e Ex- 
>mmonTy made for uol Coming to the Lord's Supper — 3. Or tleceiv 
ing Unworthily — •'• ( >n die Benefits connected with a Due Recer Jon of the 
Sapper — it). The Happiness which would follow its r /eneral and 
Devout Ol»sriv;mc. — 11. On Communion with Christ and FllS People on 
Earth — 12. On the Heavenly Communion to l>e Hereafter enjoyed with 
our Lord Tart II.- -Chap. 1. On Preparation for the Lord's Supper — 2. 
Helps lor Self-Examination, and Prayers — 3. Meditations Preparatory to 
the Lord's Sapper. — 4. Hints tor the Regulation pud Employment of the 
Mind daring the Communion Servici — 5. On the Communion Service of the 
Chareh — 6. On the Remembrance of Christ at r\e Lord's Table — 7. Medi- 
tations during the Communion — 11. Texts '.elected for Meditation, and 
arranged onder different Heads — !) Meditatfjns and Prayers after Receiving 
— 10. Psalms and Hymns suited to the Lord's Supper — 11. The Due Im- 
provement of the Lord's Supper, 

" It is indeed a cause of devout thankful .688, tli.it hooks like « Bickersteth's Treatise 
on the Lord's Supper ' are in such demand. And a fervent Prayer is offered to God, that 
every effort to enlighten the hearts of men on the subject of the Holy Communion, may 
receive His gracious blessing, until the time come when ail 'shall be devoutly and reli- 
giously disposed to receive the in<.-i comfortable sacrament of the Body and Blood of 
Christ, in remembrance of His meritorious Death and Pas-ion, whereby alone we obtain 
remission of our sius, „jd are made partakers of the kingdom of heaven.'" 



NEW MANUAL OF DEVOTIONS, 

TX THREE PARTS. 
Containing Prayers for Families and Private Persons: Offices of Humiliation 
— for the Sick — for Women — for die Holy Communion — with Oc- 
casional Pravers. 

CORRECTED AND ENLARGED BY THE RIGHT REV 

LEVI SILLIMAN IVES, D . D . , 

Bishop of the Diocese of North-Carolina. 

TO WHICH IS ADDED, 

A FRIENDLY VISIT TO Tr?E HOUSE OF MOURNING. 

BY THE REV. RICHARD CECIL, M. A. 

One large 12m o. volume. $1.00. 

" The volume here presented to the public, contains forms suited to au 

conditions in which human beings may be placed, and almost all conceivable 

variations of their circumstances, in a style well adapted to the simplicity of 

sincere and genuine piety." 



Valuable Works, 'published by Stanford <^* Swords* 
ENGLISH CHURCHWOMEN 

OF THE 

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY- 

One Volume, 18mo. 50c. 

" This is a small and very neat edition of a most delightful and useful book. It contain! 
the biography of sueh excellent character? as Viscountess Falkland, the Countess of Car 
berry, Lady Capel, and Mary Evelyn. We cannot think of a better volume to put inta 
the Parish Library and the Family Circle. Wherever it goes, it must exert a most bft> 
nign influence." — Calendar. 

•'A charming compendium of female biography, of which it must have occurred to tha 
reader there is a lack in our literature. Of course, as the title implies, the memorials an 
confined to members of the Established Church of England, but that makes them no lei>» 
interesting and certainly no less profitable to the religious reader, since the principles oi 
virtue and religion are subjects for delightful contemplation, and profitable withal, what 
ever their incidental relation or position. We are glad to possess and commend to o thorn 
this excellent publication." — N. Y. Commercial. 

"No intelligent Chr stiancan read these biographical notices, without meeting with trait, 
of character well worthy of admiration and imitation." — Southern Churchman. 



LATHROP'S APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION. 

CHRIST'S WARNING TO THE CHURCHES : 

WITH AN APPENDIX ON THE 

APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION. 

BY THE 

REV. JOSEPH LATHROP, D. D. 

WITH AN INTRODUCTORY NOTICE BY THE REV. J. M. WAIN WRIGHT, D. V. 

Handsome 16mo. 50c. 

M A Treatise on the necessity of external ordination, and of a succession from the Apos- 
tles to constitute valid Orders, from a Congregational minister, is somewhat of an anomaly 
Yet this is such a one. The author was settled in West Springfield, Mass., and delivered 
and published these sermons on the occasion of being visited and annoyed by an itinerant 
preacher who " made great pretensions to piety," and " taught that every saint has a right 
to preach." The work in its present republished form, cannot fail to be useful in teaching 
men from whence authority to preach the Gospel is to be derived. — Calendar 

"Here we have a defence of the apostolic succession, written by an eminent Congrega- 
tionalism the Rev. Joseph Lathrop, and edited by a high Churchman, the Rev. Dr. Wain- 
Wright. It is a good book, although something of a curiosity in its way. It is gotten up 
is Stanford and Swords's usual neat and tasteful style." - Recorder. 



- 7 by Stanford 4* Swords. 



MARK WILTONj 




THE MERCHANT'S CLERK. 

ET THE 

REV. CHARLES B. TAYLER, 

AUTHOR OF " LADY MARY," " MARGARET," " RECORDS OF A GOOD MAN'S LIFE," BTC 

One handsome volume. 12mo. 75c. 



" An excellent book to place in the hands of young men. Mr. Tayler is a good writer 
mid a fine preacher. Devoted to the service of his Master, he strives both by his pen and 
tongue to guard the unwary, instruct the ignorant, direct the doubtful, reclaim the wan 
d^rer. and guide the steps of all into the paths of peace. This volume teaches the im 
portance of resisting sin, by Bhowing the difficulties and sorrows which a compliance with 
its temptations involve. — Episcopal Recorder. 

" This volume, in the deep interest which its perusal excite?, is not inferior to the au 
trior's ' Records of a Good Man's Life,' which, as every render knows, is awarding to it 
very high praise. The pictures of individuals and families are so life-like, the various 
shades of character so finely and accurately drawn, that the reader's attention is rivetted 
from first to last. The narrative is autobiographical, and is written with such an air of 
candor, and interspersed with reflections so natural to the incidents, that it is really diffi 
cult to divest one's self of the impression that it is truth and not fiction. In one respect 
we think ' Mark Wilton ' is even superior to the author's former productions — the four 
fold phase of character exhibited in the narrative is preserved with astonishing fidelity 
and clearness. These are exemplified in the character of a family of high worldly integ- 
rity; of another, whose whole domestic discipline is regulated by the elevated precepts 
of Christian principle; of a young man, a fellow clerk of Wilton's, remarkable for his 
decision and firmness of Christian character; and of Mark Wilton, easily seduced from 
virtue, lacking strength to resist example and vicious influences, often wandering far from 
rectitude, yet again impulsive for good when arrested in his downward path. The subor- 
dinate characters serve to make apparent these distinctions We would that the book 
were carefully read by all for whom it is especially designed — the clerks in a great city 
» N. Y. Commercial Advertiser 



Valuable IVorks, published h>/ Stanford 8f SworJ*. 



P/JERCY TO BABES: 

A PLEA FOR THE CHRISTIAN BAPTISM OF INFANTS 

ADDRESSED TO THOSE WHO DENY THE VALIDITY OF THAT PP.ACTICE, 
UPON THE GROUNDS OF THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISM, AND THE 
ETERNAL SENSE OF HOLY WRIT, AND OF THE DOMES- 
TIC. SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS NATURE OF MAN 

BY THE 

REV. WILLIAM ADAMS, S. T. P. 

PFES3YTER OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE OF 
WISCONSIN. 

One Volume. 12mo. 63c. 

" Adams' ' Mercy for Babes' is a book of rare originality and power. It is an argument 
of no ordinary cogency, well conceived, and, in the main, well put, for the right of infants 
to the seal of blessing in the sacrament of baptism. The writer eschews controversy, and 
undertakes to lay down his doctrine, and prove it, on its own merits from the Bible only. 
He does it, and does it well. We know a case in which his end has been attained. An 
anxious and intelligent ' inquirer ' was distressed by some of the common specious objec- 
tions to infant baptism, which are so successful with the many who have neither ability 
nor inclination to examine thoroughly into their validity. ' Mercy for Babes,' was recom- 
mended, and the result was perfect satisfaction. The ground was cut up beneath the con- 
troversial statements that had given trouble, and they lost all their value. The literal 
truth of Scripture destroyed them. They were not opposed — not refuted — Ihere was no 
room left for them. Truth, exhibited by no mealy-mouthed asserto.-, but with honest 
plainness and earnestness, took hold of the mind, convinced it, preoccupied it, and left no 
room for adverse sophistry and false assertion. 

"But one need not be in perplexity because of anti-psedo-baptist assaults on the 
Church's love for little children, to profit by Mr. Adams' book. .Not for many a day have 
we met with one that will better repay any reader for his trouble and time laid out in 
giving it a careful perusal. It is most clearly written under a sense of want. The writer 
felt that he had something to say which had not yet been said as he could say it, and that 
nov. was the time to give it utterance. He has done so in unstudied honest plainness, and 
has shown that he was right. Late years have brought out several good works on branches 
of the paedo-baptist question; this is the first that has touched the root." — Church Times. 

"We have peculiar pleasure in announcing the work whose title we have given above 
in full, and which conveys a very accurate idea of the peculiar nature of the track which 
the author has chosen to pursue. He leaves untouched many of the branches of the argu- 
ment for the baptism of infants which have already been ably and sufficiently discussed 
by preceding writers, and confines himself to what he well calls ' the grand question' — 
its moral, religious, domestic, and social considerations; rightly judging that when this is 
felt as it should be, minor questions will be easily agreed upon. He is evidently in earnest; 
he writes from the heart; and only seeks readers who arc equally in earnest, and who see 
and feel the deep and solemn importance of the subject. It is all the more valuable as 
•a book written for plain people, and for common sense people;' and that the authoi 
•comes forward, not as a controversialist to attack others, or to enter into discussion with 
any champion of the opposite views.' 'This,' lie says, 'is not his object — his purpose 
is far different; he wishes to lay clearly and plainly before those who doubt or deny infant 
baptism, the grounds for his own belief that are to be found in ;iic Scripture :— to lay it 
before them as persons that have a real and \ital interest in it as professing Christians 
ns persons, too, that have the. Biblo in their hands, are bound to search for the truth 
tuore.' " —Banner of the Cross 



Valuable, Works, published by Stanford Sf Swordt. 
MARGARET; OR, THE PEARL. 




H Y I II F. 

REV. CHARLES B.TAYLER, 

AUTHOE OF " LADV MART," " IIF-CORDS OF A GOOD NAN'S LIFE," &C. *C. 

In one handsome duodecimo volume. 75c. 



K good hook may be compared to a dear and faithful friend, always welcome, and 
•**<• •im: n> influeuce to cheer nad freshen the pathway of life. To this class the writing* 
of the pious ami gifted antlior of the present volume justly belong. The favorable recep 
lion, by a discerning public, of two of the work.-, of the Rev. Mr. Tayler, recently i^suei' 
■"roin th -ir press, h.<> encoi raged the publishers to add a third ; confidently believing the 
the valuable instructions and examples abounding in it, apart from the great interest o. 
the narrative itself, will render ' Margaret* no unfit companion to 'The Records of a 
Good Man's Life,' and ' Lady Mary." All three are worthy a place in every family and 
parish library." — Publishers' Preface. 

" Those who have read Lady Mary,' and ' The Records of a Good Man's Life," will 
be anxious to prtuse litis olume. It is one of those gems of religious fiction, which teacb 
truth i.i u manner equn y calculated to inform the mind and impress the heart, without 
Meriting appeals to the magiuatton. or unwholesome stimulants to the religious sensibili 
lies." — Protestant Churchman. 

" We are glad to see this work republished here. It is a book for the family, conv.y 
■ng instruction and awakening reflection, while it arrests the attention, and retains it by 
& 3 truthfulness of its domestic scenes." — Evening Gazette. 

•' It is unnecessary to say, except to those who are unacquainted with this gifted au- 
thor's other writing*, that the volume is both highly instructive and attractive." — Southern 
Cknrchtnan. 

" A pleasing narrative of pride and wealth subdued to suffering and humiliation, anc 
false opinions overcome by faith in Christ. Nothing could be more proper and Christian 
like than tie tone ami temper of this little volume, which will be read by the religious 
with pleasure and profit. It is very prettily sent forth by the American publishers."— 
Siuihtrn Patriot. 

"The typography and general appearance of the volunio is highly ere i : table to th* 
publishers."— Albany Ectning Journal. 



Vafuab t jrtiblished by Stanford <$• Swor>ls. 

LADY MARY 




<i^WW^ 



LADY 



A R ¥ 



NOT OP THE WORLD. 

BY THE REV. C. B. TAYLER, 

AUTHOR OF " MARGARET," ETC. ETC. 

One handsome volume. Ylmo. 75c. 

Some of the reviewers have found fault with me for writing about persons in tne 
upper classes of society. I think it well to say that in " Margaret," and in the vo.ume 
svhich is now offered to the public, I have purposely done so. I love to write for the 
lower and middling classes. * * * * But I am naturally, I ought almost say a close 
observer, and 1 have seen in the upper ranks of society much that is inconsistent with a 
Christian profession. They have also immortal souls, their situation is one of peculiar 
peril, and our blessed Lord has addressed some of his severest admonitions and most 
awful warnings to them. Their influence is great, their example of -.onsiderable impor- 
tance, their responsibility before God is proportionate. I have, therefore, endeavored to 
write also for the noble and the rich; and to attack, with weapons which are not carnal 
but mighty through God, 'the strong holds of the adversary among the worldly and 
among those who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.' " — Preface. 

" We take great pleasure in calling attention to this most excellent volume, which must 
meet with a w-de circulation. The style is beautifully simple, the narrative abounds 
wiili interesting incidents, and the whole is imbued with atone of the highest evangelical 
piety. The wr.ter has a happy faculty of adapting himself to the comprehension of the 
young, at the sime time that he instructs and entertains the old. It would make on 
appropriate prejent for the young, and maybe the means of doing great good. Mr 
Tayler, us far as we have had opportunity to judge, is quite as interesting a writer as 
Char lot ta Eliza! eth, and far less bigoted and prejudiced. Such volumes as these cannor 
be too Widely spread." — Evening Post. 

" We are pleased to see a second American edition of this delightful volume, than which 
few fictions are oore like real life^ind none can have a better effect upon the heart. The 
au'hor has been eminently successful in this walk, sketching with a masterly pen both 
humble and moie polished life. The fidelity with which the inconsistencies of Christian? 
in tiie most favo -ed worldly circumstances are portraj'ed in this volume cannot /ail t» 
have a s;riutary influence, whij " the narrative is of such an interest as to induce more tham 



Valuable Work I by Stanford «.<,• Sicord*, 

H A¥ KSTO'NE: 

ATALE OF AND FOR ENGLAND IN 184— 

raoai tux TinnD london kdition. 

EDITED BY THE REV. DR. WILLIAMS, 

OK 8C1IENKCTADY. 

2 vols. V2mo. $1 50. 



"We have not, for yean, found ourselves bo deeply absorbed in tlie porusi of any 
work of fiction. A tale of more profound and sustained interest we have nowr mot The 
ekill with which incident after incident is made to sustain the attention ; and with which 
moral ami religions troths of tlif highest momenl an- interwoven without effort or affecta 
Hon ; the rich ami exbaustless variety of thought, ami imagery, and diction, winch affords 
a continual relief ami enjoyment — the exquisite beauty ofitt descriptions — the force and 
grandeur of its tragic incidents — ami the high philosophy which breathes in every page, 
ami brings out such a noble moral throughout — all appear to us to place this work on ><i 
high an elevation, that we should not find it easy to point to any work of fiction character 
ized by so jri-rat a combination of excellencies. Borne of the scenes appear to us, not 
inferior in power to tin- very best of Walter Scott The discovery by Margaret of 
Wheeler's wickedness; the escape of Villiers ami Bentley from the destruction meditated 
a tck of the mob i n the inn, aud its defence by Villiers j the death of 
Wheeler; the recovery of the |d.-i child by Villiers, and his repentance ; have been, We 
think, very rarely equalled. Of the principles of the work at an expression of Church 
principles, are cannot speak too highly. The comprehensiveness and depth of its views — 
the noble examples which it presents; the singular judgment with which it discriminates 
true Catholicism from Romanism ; and the advice which it administers to some persons 
who have verged towards the Church of Rome ; aU render this work an invaluable 
resource to those who are attached to the Church, on the highest and purest principles." — 
English Review, 

"There are two words in our language the 'bans' of whose marriage we would 
solemnly ' forbid.' ' Religious ' and ' novel ' are not merely paradoxical but directly 
antagonistiual ; and religious novels, and novelties in religion, are alike objects to which 
we always give a wide berth. There is no general rule, however, without its exception . 
and as the Roman Cato could give character and respectability to the lowest ollice in the 
State, by assuming its duties, so even the religious novel maybe raised from it- deep 
degradation by the combined energies of a powerful intellect, a refined taste, an Anglo- 
Saxon common sense, a chastened yet glowing imagination, a keen yet polished irony, a 
p-ofound yet transparent philosophy, a quiet yet ardent love for the Church, and a calm 
yet devoted piety. All these have united to give character to 'Hasvkstone,' which has 
leached a third edition in England, and is soon, we *re informed, to be republished ir. 
this country. It is au anonymous publication, but, unless there be. two minds of precisely 
the same character and calibre, we cannot be mistaken when we claim for it the paternity 
of the learned and accomplished author of 'Christian Morals' and ' Christian Politics. " 
—Charleston Gospel Messi ns'-r , 



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